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.

Competition Overview

Registration is now open for the Winter 2025 Journalism competition. This season’s competition welcomes students in middle and high school and includes both individual and team categories. Please visit this page to register and learn more about the timeline, honors, and prompts!

Past Competition Winners

Check out the Summer 2024 competition winners here. Please note that aspects of the competition have evolved and guidelines for the Winter 2025 competition may differ from former competitions’.