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.
Ada Limón
Shelley Read
Peter Godwin
Virginia Evans
Kiran Desai
Julia Lovell
Robert Macfarlane
Abby Phillip
Barbara Wansbrough
Jill Lepore
Amor Towles
Sebastian Mallaby
David Sanger
Beth Macy
Liaquat Ahamed
Michael Pollan
Theo Baker
Susan Orlean
Derek Thompson
Richard Osman
Ilyon Woo
Amy Bowers Cordalis
Simon Rich
David Gelles
Julian Brave NoiseCat
Rick Atkinson
Gary Shteyngart
Ken Burns
Atul Gawande
Susan Choi
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.
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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.
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In this episode, recorded live at #SVWC2025, New Yorker staff writer and National Book Award-winning author Evan Osnos dives into the bold-faced, always entertaining, and all too timely topic of how much is too much in our society—or rather, how much is never enough?
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Welcome to Beyond the Page: The Best of the Sun Valley Writers’ Conference. Over the past 30 years, SVWC has become the gold standard of American literary festivals, bringing together contemporary writing’s brightest stars for their view of the world through a literary lens. Every month, Beyond the Page curates and distills the best talks from SVWC, giving you a front row seat on the kind of knowledge, inspiration, laughter, and meaning that we are known for.
To listen to other talks from the Sun Valley Writers’ Conference, subscribe now on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, or listen directly on our website.
📸 : @rayjgadd
We believe the future of literature depends on young readers and writers—and cost shouldn’t be a barrier to belonging. Our Next Generation Pass ($550 for those 35 and under) offers full access to the entire Sun Valley Writers’ Conference at half the price. Whether you’re a student, emerging writer, or lifelong reader, this pass is designed to make SVWC more accessible for the next generation.
REMINDER: We`re moving to a pass lottery system for 2026! Learn more and sign up at svwc.com/attend. Sign-ups close February 24 at 5pm MST.
Photos: @rayjgadd & @photorama2
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).
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.
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“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