Introduction
Thank you for your interest in the 2026 Harvard Political Review Summer Fellowship. This page includes all information pertaining to this competition for high school students. Should you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to our team at harvardpoliticalreview@gmail.com.
Who are we
Founded in 1969, the Harvard Political Review (HPR) is an undergraduate-run journal of politics, policy, and culture. Over the past generation, the HPR has incubated some of the best political minds in America with magazine alumni including Al Gore, Jr. (former United States Vice President and Nobel Laureate), E.J. Dionne, Jr. (Washington Post columnist), Jonathan Alter (former Newsweek Senior Editor and columnist), and Jeffrey Sachs (Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University). In recent years, HPR writers have won the National Press Club Award for Outstanding College Political Writing and matriculated to staff positions with Politico, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Reuters, Al Jazeera, and elsewhere. The HPR features student perspectives in the form of articles, podcasts, investigations, data-driven storytelling, photo journals, and interviews in sections spanning US, World, Local, Culture, and Science & Technology. Housed under Harvard University’s Institute of Politics, the publication benefits from a broad readership base of over one million per year. Moreover, this support and reach allows the publication access to some of the most influential political and cultural figures of our time. Past interviewees range from Dr. Anthony Fauci to Yo-Yo Ma to Tarja Halonen, the first female President of Finland.
Fellowship Information
The Summer Fellowship offers two programs: one for those who simply want to learn from Harvard journalists about what excellent journalism looks like and another for those who are eager to take the next step toward publication in the Harvard Political Review (HPR).
Option #1: 1-week HPR Journalism Bootcamp
The Journalism Bootcamp is a five-day immersive program with hands-on mentorship from members of the HPR’s Masthead, including three intensive components:
First, each fellow will be placed into a Lab of at most ten students, allowing for personalized instruction from some of the best young journalists in the country. After registering, we will ask all fellows to complete a brief survey with their grade level, prior journalism experience, and specific interest areas. Labs will be thoughtfully curated for students with similar experience levels to learn together, and we will pair labs with an HPR Masthead member who is best equipped to guide them. In Labs, sessions will cover every aspect of the journalism process from ethical interviewing and researching to crafting the most compelling and intriguing hook. Labs will be both informational and interactive, combining direct pedagogy with experiential opportunities.
Second, throughout the camp, fellows will have the opportunity to hear from different members of masthead, HPR alumni, and keynote speakers. These talks will range from discussing specific journalism topics to the experience of writing for a publication. Open to the entire fellowship, these lectures will allow fellows to hear and learn from a wide range of voices and experiences rather than just their individual lab leader. All lectures will conclude with a live Q&A component.
Third, since we believe that every student deserves 1-on-1 instruction, we will be offering office hours where students can meet 1-on-1 with Harvard student-journalists to discuss any questions they have about their journalist pursuits and beyond. Fellows will have the option to go to any instructor’s office hours, not merely their lab leader’s. For example, if a fellow was particularly inspired by a lecture they attended, they could speak directly with that instructor in greater detail during office hours. Although they are not mandatory, we highly encourage our fellows to take advantage of this unparalleled opportunity to engage directly with and receive personalized guidance from Harvard journalists.
All fellows who complete the bootcamp will receive a signed Certificate of Completion from the Harvard Political Review for their hard work and achievement in the bootcamp.
Option #2: Publication Track
For fellows who are particularly passionate about journalism, we are excited to offer a second track toward publication in the Harvard Political Review. Bootcamp participation is a prerequisite for the publication track.
Publication Track fellows will devote an additional week following the bootcamp into further developing a single article of their choosing. They may also select to publish a podcast, data journalism analysis, or photojournalism piece. Every fellow who is interested in pursuing the publication track will be paired with a dedicated mentor distinct from their lab leader. Rather than have instruction be lab-based, fellows will work one-on-one with their mentors throughout the second week. This mentor will guide them through article ideation, and answer any questions that they have about the editing process, including explaining the expectations and flow of the Harvard Political Review editing pipeline.
Every article written by a Publication Track fellow will enter and go through the Harvard Political Review’s pipeline just as any Harvard student’s article would. This program will culminate in the publication of fellows’ articles in a special fellowship edition on the Harvard Political Review website, which reaches over 900,000 viewers annually.
Eligibility
All incoming and current middle and high school students are welcome to enter. Students will be split by experience and age group for lab cohort meetings throughout the camp.
Registration
Please register below by 11:59pm ET two weeks before the start of the camp (06/08/2026 and 07/20/2026, respectively) to receive instructions for lab assignment information, schedules, and preparation resources. Please see the pricing options below. You will be asked to pay when you register. After registering, you will receive confirmation of your spot within 48 hours. Please reach out to harvardpoliticalreview@gmail.com if you run into any difficulties.
