Planning for the annual Online News Association Conference is community-driven from the start. We are excited to open the ONA22 Suggestion Box to hear about the conversations you want to lead, join or learn from at the conference. It’s your opportunity to pitch session ideas and presenters focused on the trends and topics most important to you.
ONA22 is happening Sept. 21-24 in Los Angeles and online. Submissions are due April 21, 9 p.m. EDT (01:00 UTC).
ONA22 returns our annual conference to an in-person setting for the first time in three years. We will also provide attendees with the option to attend remotely, building on lessons from designing an engaging, hybrid experience for the ONA Insights event in October 2021. We will work to ensure most sessions are interactive and will strongly consider how well pitches are designed to connect with attendees in-person and online.
The Suggestion Box process centers topics the ONA community has identified as most valuable. We are looking for sessions to support best practices or innovative ideas in five areas:
- Audience development and metrics
- Emerging technology
- Innovative news storytelling
- Leadership development
- Revenue or content strategy, including products
Event designers are learning that most adults prefer a more interactive environment, rather than a passive one. On the whole, most people prefer a chance to create something, or share and reflect on their own experiences. We’ll have a variety of sessions along the spectrum of interactive to passive, but will dedicate less space to passive lectures or panels.
Here are the session formats we are looking for during the pitch process for ONA22, along with examples from past conferences and the maximum number of presenters each session might reasonably accommodate:
Best practices: Provide takeaways for tips and tricks for improving work; 3 presenters max
Case Studies / Under-the-Hood: Deep dive into a project, illuminating both successes and challenges; 2 presenters max
- Collaborating For Impact: “Case Cleared” Investigative Partnership
- VR in Paradise: Behind the Scenes on a Radioactive Atoll
Learn a skill: Workshops that provide a hard skill to take back to your organization; 3 facilitators max
- Explaining the Explainer: How to Make Videos that Resonate
- Design and Build a Voice Experience: A Workshop in Two Parts
Masterclass: Solo talk or fireside chat with a topical expert; 2 presenters max
- News Events with Margaret Low of The Atlantic
- Journalism in the Climate Change Era with Gina McCarthy
Panel: Nuanced dive into a complex topic or challenge; 5 presenters max, including a moderator
Research: New information about the latest trends in news; 2 presenters max
Solutions gathering: Gather people in your network to dive into a current challenge and work to define a solution; 2 facilitators max
- Parenting in the Digital Newsroom, Speed Dating Style
- SRCCON Takeover: A Salon from OpenNews and Journalists of Color Slack to Rest and Get Support
Template building: Collaborate on a template organizations could use to start a project or initiative, or improve workflows; 2 facilitators max
- Creating Guidelines for Machine Learning in the Newsroom
- How to Get Sh** Done in a Remote Workplace and Beyond
How to craft your ONA22 pitch
We created a one-stop guide with FAQs, session format ideas, details on the selection process and extensive tips and examples for crafting your pitch.
Explore the ONA22 Suggestion Box Guide
Submit ONA22 pitches by April 21
Learn more about the ONA22 conference
The Online News Association was founded in 1999 as a forum for digital news pioneers to collaborate on common challenges and encourage the highest journalistic standards. Become an ONA member or make a donation to sustain our mission to inspire and support innovation and excellence in digital journalism.
To learn about the latest training opportunities and resources from ONA, subscribe to the ONA Weekly newsletter and follow us on Twitter @ONA.
To explore exhibit space and sponsorship for ONA22, partnerships, promotional opportunities and other ways to invest in ONA’s programs and events, contact Chief Strategic Partnerships Officer Jessica Strelitz at jessica@journalists.org.