Membership

When you become a member of the National Press Club, you gain access to a unique professional network, exclusive events with high-profile newsmakers, cutting-edge educational programming to advance your career and a welcoming social club in the heart of downtown Washington where you can relax and enjoy upscale food and drink with others in the media industry.

Join the National Press Club!

 

Who Can Join?

If you work, study or participate in activities that involve creating, producing or distributing news or other content as part of the newsgathering process, you are eligible to become a member of the National Press Club!

• Journalism & Media Professionals
• Public Relations Professionals
• Writers & Authors
• Students & Educators

Benefits of Membership

The National Press Club, founded in 1908, offers career development and social opportunities for journalists, public relations and communications professionals.

Whether brand new to the industry or a seasoned veteran, NPC membership comes with opportunities for professional development and networking; access to our world-class facilities; VIP access and reduced pricing for club events as well as other discounts and member-only special offers.

         

Membership Categories

You may qualify for Journalist membership if you work for a news outlet supported by advertising, paid subscriptions, or funded by a non–profit organization. Such organizations must operate with editorial independence from any political, government, commercial or special interest and produce work primarily to disseminate news. Professions that usually qualify under this category include:

  • Reporter
  • Writer
  • Blogger
  • Freelancers for qualified news outlets
  • Editor
  • Publisher
  • Editorial and news cartoonist or artist
  • News photographer or videographer
  • Producer
  • Web master or other editorial employee of a news outlet defined above

This category also includes:

  • Journalism instructors, professors and deans at the college level
  • Non-fiction authors published by a commercial publishing house and whose principal occupation is writing books

Only Journalist members shall be eligible to vote and to hold office in the Club, except with respect to the three Governors elected by Communicator members.

Annual Dues

Journalist
$704 ($58.67/mo.)


Journalist Retired
$368 ($30.67/mo.)
Retired journalists ages 65+ qualify for retired dues rates.


Journalist Young member
$400 ($33.33/mo.)
Working journalists between 35 and 21 years of age qualify for young member dues rates. Full-time students and interns under 21 years old may apply for a temporary membership. Email [email protected] for more details.


Journalist Non-Resident
$326 ($27.17/mo.)


Journalist Non-Resident Retired
$185 ($15.42/mo.)

Applicants living or working outside of the following areas, including international applicants, are considered non-resident members: Washington, D.C.; the Maryland counties of Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, Frederick, Howard, Montgomery and Prince George’s; the Virginia counties of Arlington, Culpeper, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, Prince William, and Stafford, or the Virginia cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Fredericksburg, Manassas and Manassas Park. Approved applicants who live or work in the areas listed above pay the regular dues amount.

 

You may qualify for Communicator membership if you fit into one of the following groups:

  • Former Journalists: Persons who have been journalist members of the Club but who no longer qualify as journalist members. Persons who have been employed for not less than five of the past 10 years or ten years overall in jobs that would have qualified them as journalist members.
  • Non-Editorial Staff: Persons who work full time for a qualified news outlet who are business managers, advertising managers, circulation managers, promotion managers and system operators.
  • Government/Non-Profit: Persons who are actively engaged full-time in public information or editorial duties for a foreign or domestic government agency, or a 501c3 non-profit. Work involves regular contacts with members of the press or whose duties involve preparation or dissemination of news and information as employees of a domestic or foreign government.

Annual Dues:

  • Communicator - $852 ($71/mo.)
  • Communicator Retired - $474 ($39.50/mo.)
    Retired communicators ages 65+ qualify for retired dues rates.
  • Communicator Young Member-under 35 - $583 ($48.58/mo.)
    Working journalists between 35 and 21 years of age qualify for young member dues rates. Full-time students and interns under 21 years old may apply for a temporary membership. Email [email protected] for more details.
  • Communicator Non-Resident - $463 ($38.58/mo.)
    Communicator Non-Resident Retired - $264 ($22.00/mo.)
    Applicants living or working outside of the following areas, including international applicants, are considered non-resident members: Washington, D.C.; the Maryland counties of Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, Frederick, Howard, Montgomery and Prince George’s; the Virginia counties of Arlington, Culpeper, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, Prince William, and Stafford, or the Virginia cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Fredericksburg, Manassas and Manassas Park.
    Approved applicants who live or work in the areas listed above pay the regular dues amount.
  • Communications Professionals: Persons whose profession is public relations, public affairs, marketing or corporate communications, including staff whose work would qualify as a journalist if done for an independent media outlet;
  • Persons who by principal occupation or business are fiction or play authors, book or film editors, poets, television or script writers or book publishers;
  • Bloggers who do not qualify as Journalist members.
  • Persons whose profession or business involves regular contacts with members of the press or whose duties involve preparation or dissemination of news and information (A letter from a member of the working press is required to validate source status).

Annual Dues:

  • Communicator News Source - $984 ($82/mo.)
  • Communicator News Source - Retired - $474 ($39.50/mo.)
    Retired communicators ages 65+ qualify for retired dues rates.
  • Communicator News Source - Young Member - under 35 - $583 ($48.58/mo.)
    Working professionals between 35 and 21 years of age qualify for young member dues rates. Full-time students and interns under 21 years old may apply for a temporary membership. Email [email protected] for more details.
  • Communicator News Source - Non-Resident - $463 ($38.58/mo.)
    Communicator News Source - Non-Resident Retired - $264 ($22.00/mo.)
    Applicants living or working outside of the following areas, including international applicants, are considered non-resident members: Washington, D.C.; the Maryland counties of Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, Frederick, Howard, Montgomery and Prince George’s; the Virginia counties of Arlington, Culpeper, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, Prince William, and Stafford, or the Virginia cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Fredericksburg, Manassas and Manassas Park.
    If you live or work in the areas listed above, you pay regular dues amount.

Only Journalist members shall be eligible to vote and to hold office in the Club, except with respect to the three Governors elected by Communicator members.

The spouse or domestic partners of approved National Press Club members in good standing are eligible for full membership at $132 annually. Spouse members can access all member benefits, except for voting privileges per the Club’s governing documents. Spouse members may also contact the NPC membership department at [email protected] to join.

One year of FREE membership for recent HBCU graduates. To be eligible, individuals must be a ’23 or ’24 graduate of a HBCU and must have been enrolled in the school of journalism or school’s equivalent. Click here to apply. Use the code "HBCU" in the application code field.

Students who are enrolled full-time in undergraduate or graduate journalism programs; or work on campus publications, broadcast outlets or news internet sites; or who otherwise intern or work part-time for qualified news outlets can email [email protected] for more information.

Dues:

  • Full-Time Student - $200 annually
  • Intern - Fall semester, September-December: $100
  • Intern - Spring semester, January-May: $100
  • Intern - Summer semester, June-August: $75

Building tenants: persons whose office of employment is located in the National Press Building at 529 14th St NW, Washington DC 20045 and do not qualify for one of the other above categories.

Email [email protected] for more details.

Annual Dues:

  • Building Tenant $984 ($82/mo.)
  • Building Tenant - Young Member - under 35 - $583 ($48.58/mo.)
    Working professionals between 35 and 21 years of age qualify for young member dues rates. Full-time students and interns under 21 years old may apply for a temporary membership. Email [email protected] for more details.

Building tenant members do not have voting privileges.

NPC Member Spotlight Logo

The National Press Club turns the spotlight on members who are making an impact in their professional field and around the Club. These members exemplify the mission of the National Press Club to make it the place where news happens.

The Fine Print

  • The National Press Club Board of Governors has defined membership categories and dues levels based on profession, geographic location, and age as outlined in our governing documents.
  • As a private club, all determinations regarding professional standing shall be made by the Board of Governors at its sole discretion, and in no case shall so-called “credentials” from any publication, news service or government entity be sufficient to establish eligibility in the absence of other evidence satisfactory of the Board.
  • The National Press Club’s Membership Committee and Board of Governors review and evaluate each application against our governing criteria to ensure the Club is made up of a majority of journalist members. Only journalist members can vote for the Club officers and journalist members of the Board of Governors. Communicator members can vote for three communicator members on the Board of Governors, who in turn only vote on budgetary matters that come before the board.

Please email [email protected] with any questions or for more information.