There are a variety of ways to get involved with ONA’s annual conference. Many include complimentary registration. This page includes details associated with ONA23, including volunteer experiences.
Timelines and applications for opportunities at ONA24 will be available from February/March 2024. Subscribe to ONA Weekly for the latest updates about our work throughout the year.
If your organization is looking to connect with innovators in digital media, we also provide compelling sponsorship opportunities, or can craft something to your needs. Reach out to Chief Strategic Partnerships Officer Jessica Strelitz: jessica@journalists.org.
Sponsor the conference
Whether you’re looking to introduce your new product to thousands of innovators or join some of the most elite organizations in digital media in supporting ONA, we have sponsorship opportunities at a variety of levels. Contact Jessica Strelitz, jessica@journalists.org, (571) 212-1363.
Explore career opportunities
The ONA23 Resume Drop is open to any digital news professional looking to discuss jobs, internships, academic programs and fellowships for career development. This resource will only be shared with official ONA23 recruiters and program representatives, who will reach out in the weeks leading up to ONA23: Philadelphia and through ONA23: Onward in late September.
Even if you cannot make the conference, you can still add your resume and connect with recruiters from organizations including McClatchy, TEGNA, University of Maryland Philip Merrill College of Journalism, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Associated Press, Reynolds Journalism Institute, the Philadelphia Inquirer and dozens more.
We offer many ways to support attendees’ career journeys. Check out the ONA23 Career Resources page for more.
Closed opportunities
Opportunities that came with a complimentary badge to attend ONA23:
ONA is offering five types of scholarships to ensure a more inclusive and accessible event. These opportunities include support for:
- Journalists typically underrepresented in newsrooms
- Students and new professionals
- Local reporters
- Caregivers
- Digital journalists working in newsrooms of fewer than 10 people
This opportunity closed on June 29.
Most of the programming for the annual conference comes together through our Suggestion Box, our public call for session and speaker ideas. The ONA23 Suggestion Box closed in March. Our volunteer Program Team reviews all submissions. We expect to share the conference schedule on a rolling basis from mid-May – July.
This one-year fellowship provides support and guidance to early-career journalists on a digital journalism project, as well as their own professional development. Fellows receive a complimentary pass to ONA23, plus a three-year ONA membership, among other benefits.
The MJ Bear Fellowship is made possible through generous contributions by the MJ Bear Estate, friends of MJ Bear and ONA, MSN International and Microsoft News.
Applications closed on April 27.
Five students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) will receive hands-on experience during ONA23 as part of the HBCU Digital Media Fellowship. The students will create a digital project during the fellowship, as well as participate in mentorship focused on emerging technologies, tools and approaches to reporting and distributing news online.
This application window closed on April 13, 2023.
The Student Newsroom and Innovation Lab immerses undergraduate and graduate college students in a digital media environment by providing hands-on experience during the Online News Association conference.
This year, 20 selected students will produce content and tools for the ONA23 Student Newsroom under the personal guidance of professional mentors.
This opportunity was open to our global community. The application window ended April 20, 2023.
ONA relies on its dedicated volunteers to help make ONA23 a warm and welcoming environment. Volunteers will assist in production aspects of the conference, such as editing transcriptions to make the conference more accessible. While we will review each application based on its strength, ONA prioritizes freelance and local news volunteer applicants.
This opportunity was open to our global community. The application window ended on May 18.
Opportunities to support ONA23 that did not come with a complimentary badge:
The ONA Midway is the destination for our community to learn about emerging and established tools and products through direct interaction with companies and organizations – including start-ups – and complemented by curated programming. ONA conference attendees come to the Midway for opportunities to learn about and try new products, to dive deeper into the tools they already use and bring back fresh ideas to amplify their news work.
ONA23: Philadelphia will feature several Midway learning sessions, highlighting topics of importance to the ONA community and featuring experts offering perspectives from inside and outside of the global newsroom. Learn how to propose a session.
The Midway programming application window closed on May 12.
The Start-Up Alley is back in person in the ONA23 Midway! This program supports emerging companies – established in the last 24 months – looking to disrupt the media and tech industries with fresh ideas.
The Start-Up Alley application window closed on May 12.
The 2023 Online Journalism Awards honor excellence in digital journalism around the world. Finalists and winners represent a wide range of nonprofit, public, academic, major media, independent and emerging technology organizations. ONA23 will close with the OJAs Ceremony and Banquet on Saturday, Aug. 26.
The call for entries closed May 25.