NEW! 2026 Pass Lottery
Due to unprecedented demand, we are introducing a pass lottery system for 2026, making the process fairer and more equitable for our community. Sign-ups close February 24 at 5pm MST and names will be drawn at random the next day. You must enter the lottery to be eligible to purchase passes, so be sure to sign up!
2026 Presenters
Join Us.
Kiran Desai
Amy Bowers Cordalis
Richard Osman
Simon Rich
Susan Choi
Julian Brave NoiseCat
Derek Thompson
Michael Pollan
Atul Gawande
Ilyon Woo
Amor Towles
Abby Phillip
Virginia Evans
Ada Limón
David Sanger
Julia Lovell
Barbara Wansbrough
Peter Godwin
Shelley Read
Rick Atkinson
Susan Orlean
Sebastian Mallaby
Gary Shteyngart
Robert Macfarlane
Liaquat Ahamed
Theo Baker
Jill Lepore
Ken Burns
David Gelles
Beth Macy
Ken Burns is the 2026
Writer in the World Prize Recipient
We are pleased to announce that documentary filmmaker Ken Burns will receive our Writer in the World Prize at the 2026 Sun Valley Writers’ Conference (SVWC), for work that fuses narrative mastery with moral imagination, deepening our understanding of the world and our place in it. Burns will be receiving his award and giving a presentation at SVWC 2026, happening July 18-20. Stay tuned for more information.
Latest Audio & Video
Watch & Listen.
Latest News
Be Informed.
NEW! 2026 Pass Lottery
Free Events & Community Programming
It is one of SVWC’s foremost goals to make the Conference and its content as accessible as possible, especially to students, teachers, and our local community. We have opened our doors each year, both virtually and in-person, with free Pavilion lawn talks, free livestreaming, free talks at The Community Library, as well as free online audio and video recordings (including our very own podcast) in our digital media library. This year, we are also offering Special Series Pavilion Passes and a Live Watch Party in downtown Ketchum. We invite you to join in and get inspired. For all the ways you can get involved for free, visit svwc.com/free.
Follow Us
on Social Media
We’re honored by the extraordinary enthusiasm for SVWC—each year, hundreds of readers attempt to purchase passes the moment our sale opens, and they sell out in minutes. To create a more relaxed, equitable experience for our community, SVWC is introducing a pass lottery system for 2026. This approach gives everyone a chance to participate during a multi-week sign-up window and makes the process fairer, more inclusive, and more enjoyable for all.
You must enter the lottery to be eligible to purchase passes. Sign-ups close February 24 at 5pm MST, and names will be drawn at random on February 25. All entrants will be emailed on February 25 either with purchase instructions or waitlist information. Learn more and sign up at svwc.com/attend (LINK IN BIO).
This Black History Month, we’re celebrating journalist, author, and #SVWC2026 speaker Abby Phillip—a powerful voice shaping today’s conversations around culture, leadership, and public life. Her latest book, “A Dream Deferred: Jesse Jackson and the Fight for Black Political Power," offers a deeply reported, thoughtful look at a pivotal moment in our political history, shedding new light on an American icon.
We’re honored to welcome Abby to the Sun Valley Writers’ Conference in 2026 and can’t wait to hear her insights live in conversation. Join us in celebrating her work and the many Black writers whose stories continue to expand our understanding of history, identity, and possibility.
#BlackHistoryMonth @abbydphillip
"Is generative AI eroding our humanity?" Our friends over at LitHub are asking important questions. Read more from Nick Ripatrazone on the importance of the creative ego (and the problem of generative AI) at the link in bio. @literaryhub
#LiteraryConversation #CreativeProcess #GenerativeAI #ArtificialIntelligence #HumanCreativity #CreativeEgo #WritersAndReaders #LiteraryCulture #IdeasThatMatter #ReadingAndWriting #TheFutureOfArt #SVWC
Become a Donor
Your support ensures that we can continue to bring today’s leading writers and thinkers to the Sun Valley community, maintaining the same high standard of quality, intimacy, connection, and community outreach that we have for over 30 years.
We are grateful for any and all contributions—please consider joining our family of donors today.
“
“Sun Valley really rejuvenated us in so many ways, tangible and otherwise. And personally, as a writer, it felt miraculous and life-affirming.”
– Nayantara Roy, SVWC 2025 Presenter & New Voices Fellow