Each year, the Ohio State Fair recruits college students for paid public relations internships, during which you can also receive college credit. Interns will be challenged to excel and will receive an invaluable amount of professional experience and generate a wealth of portfolio material … all while having fun!
Opportunities
Ohio State Fair interns have the unique opportunity to:
- Preview the real world of public relations in an exciting setting.
- Be treated as a professional communicator and assigned important projects such as writing news releases, contributing to social media content, creating brand journalism content, collaborating on the Fair’s media kit, organizing events, writing newsletters, and more.
- Pitch stories, set up interviews and coordinate live broadcasts when working directly with media, one-on-one, during the Fair.
- Serve as the key contact to radio and television stations regarding their promotions and remote broadcasts at the Fair.
- Complete important assignments in media relations, promotions, desktop publishing and project management.
- Enhance your formal education with great on-the-job training.
Qualifications
- Be a current college junior, senior or recent graduate studying public relations, communications or journalism.
- Have experience writing news releases, organizing events, pitching stories and designing and writing newsletters; desktop publishing or basic design experience (such as Adobe InDesign and Canva) is a plus.
- Be detail-oriented, respectful of deadlines, and conscientious.
- Be self-motivated with the drive to follow through. Work will be completed as a team as well as individually in a fast-paced, fun atmosphere.
When You’ll Work
- Hours: Monday – Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. in May, June and July. You will be required to work shifts on Saturdays, July 17 and July 24, 2027.
- Dates of employment: Mid-May through Mid-August (tentative based on school schedules). The entire internship cannot exceed 14 weeks. There is no work on state holidays: May 31, June 18, and July 5. Extended hours during the Fair: During the 12 days of the Fair, July 28 – Aug. 8, 2026, extended hours will be required (at least a 14-hour shift daily). Interns cannot take time off during the Fair.
- Compensation: This is a paid internship at $15 per hour [straight time]
Questions?
Contact the Public Relations and Marketing Department at media@expo.ohio.gov.
Apply by Sunday, December 6 at 11:59 p.m.
- Complete the application through the portal below. Be sure to complete each question and upload a resume, as well as, three writing samples (such as press releases, newsletters, blog posts, magazine articles, etc.).
- Incomplete applications will not be considered.
Please see https://www.ohiostatefair.com/p/about-us/media/pr-internship or link at the bottom to apply.