Once accepted into Young Voices, our team will work as your PR agent. Our team edits and pitches your articles to top publications, place you in broadcast media, and teach you the tools of the policy trade. Your ideas, once hidden in obscurity, can reach a global audience.
We welcome all under 35 who have a fervent interest in something that can make our future freer and more flourishing — whether it's urban zoning, advocating for more babies, challenging fees on food trucks, explaining H1-B visas or any other passion. It doesn't matter where you are in your career, whether you're just starting in commentary or already have a thriving platform. We believe in finding great people with something new to contribute and introducing them to the world.
Young Voices regularly throws online policy briefings and in-person events exclusive to members of our network. From thought-provoking salons and engaging policy debates to casual happy hours, we believe in the power of personal connections to advance professionally and build lasting friendships.
Applications for the Fall 2024 class are now open and will close on May 31, 2024, at 11:59 pm ET. To join our cohort, submit a résumé, an op-ed draft, and a two-minute introductory video expressing your desire to be part of the movement. Direct all inquiries to apply@young-voices.com.
The Contributor Program, unlocked.
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Once accepted, a contributor participates in our program for a six-month period (either January to June or July to December). During that time, all contributors are expected to attend 3 onboarding trainings on Zoom and submit one article draft per month to Young Voices’ editorial team as a minimum.
After six months, contributors and alumni can apply to remain on our talent roster through our Advanced Tracks offerings. We currently offer three tracks: Writers, Commentators, and Policy Fellows. Members of the Writers Track can continue submitting articles to the editorial team for publication. Members of our Commentator Track can keep working with the PR team on broadcast interviews. Our Policy Fellowships are ad hoc opportunities to take a deep-dive on a specific policy area, guided by learning from think tank scholars and writing deliverables.
Not necessarily! As a professional development program, Young Voices welcomes applications from writers ages 18 to 35 from all levels of experience. It is not a requirement for an applicant to have been published to apply. That said, one requirement of our application process is that an applicant submit an unpublished op-ed draft (500-800 words). We just want to gauge where you’re starting from and if/how we can help.
Yes. Applications for the Contributor Program are competitive at about a 35% acceptance rate, so don’t beat yourself up if you don’t get in the first time. You’re welcome to apply again in the next application cycle (application deadlines are May 31st and November 30th each year). In the past, Young Voices has accepted new contributors into the program on their second or even third attempt, so if you didn’t succeed the first time, we would love to receive another application from you.
While the United States is Young Voices’ main focus, we do allow applicants from other Anglosphere countries for our Contributor Program (i.e. Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom). Writers based in Europe are welcome to apply for our European Fellowship (see: Young Voices Europe). Unfortunately, we do not serve other locations at this time.
Contributors are not paid for the articles they submit to us as a requirement of remaining in the program. Our greatest compensation to our writers is the free mentorship and public relations services we provide to advance their career. That said, Young Voices does offer exclusive opportunities for alumni through our Advanced Tracks which involve some form of monetary compensation, often.
Our tenets are of the market, classical liberal variety. We believe in the power of innovation and ideation, not coercion. But Young Voices takes a big-tent approach to coalition building, so we welcome working with people who identify with all sorts of labels. That said, we feel strongly about the importance of freedom: in speech, religion, property rights, the rule of law, trade of goods and labor, and taxation and regulation. If you like these things too, we want to work with you. It doesn't really matter what label you might identify with.