We welcome all teenagers who would like to learn by practicing journalism. You can join on your own or with friends; by going to one of Harbingers’ pop-up summer newsrooms or connecting with us remotely.

If you have confidence in your skills, the best way to join the magazine is to submit an article for the Harbinger Prize. Alternatively, you can visit the Oxford School for the Future of Journalism to learn more about our pop-up newsrooms and remote learning options.

Like all of us, you will start as a Contributor – there, you will learn the fundamentals, write your first stories, and get familiar with the editorial procedures.

Once we know that we can rely on you, one of the editors may ask you to join their section—that’s when you become a Journalist.

If you are passionate about a particular field, you and your editor may decide that you will become a Correspondent—like Sofia Radysh, who translated her passion for animals into the role of the Animal Welfare Correspondent, or Jefferson He, who became the UK Correspondent.

Each year, the Editorial Board steps down at the end of February. Typically, they are year 13 students who must focus on their final exams. If an editor thinks that you are the right person to take the baton from them, you may join the Editorial Board — first as a deputy editor, and then as the section editor, or even the editor-in-chief. 

But that’s not it — the most talented and hardworking Habringers’ alumni are invited to join the OXSFJ as a Harbinger Fellow. Under this scheme, they do journalism-themed English classes for underserved communities and pitch and write for professional newspapers.