U.S. Senators Katie Britt, R-Alabama, and Edward Markey, D-Massachusetts, co-chairs of the United States Senate Youth Program, announced Monday that departments of education from each state nationwide are accepting applications for the 64th annual Washington Week to be held March 7–14, 2026.
“The United States Youth Program attracts the best and brightest young leaders, and I’m thrilled to support this program as a co-chair this year. I look forward to meeting the outstanding students who are selected, including the two Alabamians who I know will represent our state exceptionally. This week will surely create memories that last a lifetime and provide lessons and opportunities that will shape the futures of these young men and women in meaningful ways,” Britt said.
Two students from each state, the District of Columbia, and the Department of Defense Education Activity will be chosen to attend this comprehensive education, leadership and public service program. Students will participate in an intensive week-long study of the federal government and its leaders, meeting with their U.S. senators, the president of the United States, cabinet secretaries, a justice of the Supreme Court, senior members of the national media, and other key policymakers.
Founded by S. Res. 324 in 1962, the program is sponsored and supported by the Senate and fully funded and administered by The Hearst Foundations. The 104 student delegates also receive a $10,000 undergraduate college scholarship to the college or university of their choice with encouragement to continue coursework in government and history. USSYP alumni now number more than 6,300 and many go on to build legacies of public service.
Both Britt and Markey, the Democratic co-chair, will have keynote events with the students during Washington Week.
Markey added, “The U.S Senate Youth Program is an exciting opportunity for talented students from Massachusetts and across the country to engage in a fulfilling week of civic engagement and civil discourse in our nation’s capital. I encourage all future leaders to consider taking this next step to further their education and guide their commitment to their communities and the country.”
This is a competitive, merit-based program. Military officers who serve as elite chaperones and mentors to the student delegates throughout the week are competitively selected through the Office of the Secretary of Defense, representing one of the longest-standing partnerships between a national youth program and the Department of Defense.
The 2026 USSYP Senate Advisory Committee includes the vice president of the United States and the Senate majority and minority leaders who annually serve as the program’s honorary co-chairs, and an eight-member bipartisan Senate panel, four senators from each party, who lend their names in support.
The delegate selection is administered by each state’s chief school officer in cooperation with high school principals. Applicants must be:
- High School juniors or seniors.
- Elected or appointed officers in student government or other school-based organizations for the 2025-2026 academic year.
- Reside in the state where they attend school to qualify.
For more information about eligibility, application procedures, and deadlines, students should contact their high school principal, school counselor, or ussenateyouth.org for state-specific applications and deadlines.
