The Native American Journalists Association reschedules annual conference to Aug. 25-27, 2022, extends memberships and program deadlines through next year
PHOENIX — In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Native American Journalists Association has again postponed the 2021 National Native Media Conference until 2022.
NAJA President Francine Compton said the ongoing safety challenges caused by the pandemic led to the decision by the board to reschedule the event again this year out of an abundance of caution.
“Due to variants of concern and uncertainty over travel authority, we voted to postpone the 2021 conference during our last board meeting,” Compton said.” It was not an easy decision, as we know how much members enjoy gathering for the annual NAJA conference. But we will be back bigger and better when we have more assurances that it can be done safely.”
NAJA will maintain the partnership with the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University, in co-hosting the conference Aug. 25-27, 2022.
All current NAJA memberships will be extended for a year. Members who have already paid their annual dues through 2021 will automatically be extended through 2022.
Updated information on the 2021 NAJA Board of Directors election will be shared as it becomes available.
2021 National Native Media Awards
NAJA is still accepting entries for the 2021 National Native Media Awards through the extended deadline of May 28. Entries will be submitted using the BetterBNC Media Awards Platform.
Recipients must request direct shipping by completing the online form. There will be no cost to ship awards to winning outlets.
Native American Journalism Fellowship and Scholarships
Native American Journalism Fellowship applications remain open through April 30, 2021. The NAJA Education Committee is considering options for hosting virtual student programming and encourages students to apply in order to be considered for the 2021-2022 class. NAJA will announce updates on NAJF by June 1.
NAJA will award 2021 NAJA-Facebook Journalism Project Scholarships as planned. Applications are open through April 30 and decisions will be made by June 30, 2021.
Conference Program Proposals
The call for National Native Media Conference proposals will be reopened through Feb. 1, 2022 to facilitate ideas, evolving COVID-19 coverage and best practices in Indigenous media through training to support and enhance the skills of journalists covering Indian Country. Conference programming will focus sessions on covering the pandemic.
Contact NAJA to discuss opportunities for branding, sponsored content, a presence in the 2022 National Native Media Expo and more at: contact@naja.com. An updated 2022 sponsorship guide will be available soon.
Lodging at the Hyatt Regency Phoenix
NAJA will share updated information on the hotel room block at the Hyatt Regency Phoenix as soon as it becomes available for 2022. The discounted room rate will be $129 per night. Attendees with any existing reservations will receive automatic cancellation notifications for reserved dates in 2021.