The Young Birders Event aims to bring together teenagers with a passion for birds and interested in pursing a career in the field. You’ll meet people who have successful careers that involve birds in a variety of ways from ornithological researchers and illustrators to audio specialists and computer scientists.
Each Young Birders Event features:
- three days of field trips
- learning about different career paths in ornithology from Cornell Lab staff
- hands-on sound recording workshop
- tour of Cornell Lab including the Macaulay Library and Museum of Vertebrates
- dinner with Cornell Lab staff
Applications for the 2024 Young Birders Event are open! This year’s event will be held June 27 – 30, 2024. Learn more here.
High school-aged young birders (students entering grades 9-12 in the fall, generally ages 14 – 17) from anywhere in the world are invited to apply. We are able to accommodate sixteen young birders, and we will notify applicants about their status in early April 2024. Slight preference will be given to students entering 12th grade and students who have previously applied.
Tentative future dates for the Young Birders Event are below. Mark your calendars!
2025: June 26-29
2026: June 25-28