Dear Abby College Columnist Scholarship Contest Open for Applications

KANSAS CITY, Mo., March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- National Society of Newspaper Columnists Education Foundation (NSNCEF) is accepting applications for the Dear Abby College Columnist Scholarship Contest. The contest is open to undergraduates who write bylined, general interest, editorial page or specialized columns that appear in the print or online editions of their college newspapers.

The first-prize winner, chosen by a panel of judges appointed by the NSNCEF, will receive a scholarship of $1,500 and will be a guest of the NSNCEF at the annual convention of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists in Manchester, New Hampshire, on June 8-11. Second- and third- prize winners will be selected and recognized with certificates and awards of $250 and $100, respectively.

Eligibility, submission guidelines and the application form are available at dearabby.com/scholarship. The deadline for submissions is April 21, 2017.

The Dear Abby College Columnist Scholarship Program is made possible through the generous support of Jeanne Phillips aka Dear Abby.

Media Contacts:

Julie Halper
Andrews McMeel Syndication
[email protected]

Mike Leonard
National Society of Newspaper Columnists Education Foundation
[email protected]

About National Society of Newspaper Columnists Education Foundation

Founded in 2003, the NSNCEF is a tax-exempt non-profit foundation [501(c)3] devoted to the education and training of new and experienced columnists.

The core mission of the foundation is to foster training opportunities for columnists and others interested in column writing. The foundation works with the National Society of Newspaper Columnists and others to serve as a training tool for aspiring and published columnists in all media. It has a special emphasis on assisting college columnists.

About Dear Abby

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, whose career as an advice columnist began at age 14. As she helped her mother answer incoming letters from advice-seeking teens, Phillips discovered that she truly loved the work. She wrote for the column behind the scenes until December 2000, when Pauline Phillips recognized Jeanne Phillips as co-creator of Dear Abby and officially retired.

With a worldwide readership of more than 110 million, Dear Abby has a devoted following who wouldn't dream of starting each day without her. The most widely syndicated columnist in the world and a true household name, Dear Abby is well-known for sound, compassionate advice, delivered with the straightforward style of a good friend.

Phillips is one of few laypersons to be granted a prestigious Life Consultant membership in the Group for Advancement of Psychiatry (GAP), an organization of nationally respected psychiatrists dedicated to shaping psychiatric thinking, public programs and clinical practice in mental health. In addition, Phillips sat on the Board of Judges for the Talbots Charitable Foundation Women's Scholarship Fund, as well as the Advisory Boards of the National Alzheimer's Association, the Children's Rights Council, Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the National Kidney Foundation.

She has received awards from the National Office of Drug Policy, the American Academy of Dermatology for excellence in public education of dermatology issues, American Ex-Prisoners of War, Overeaters Anonymous and the national Minority Organ Tissue Transplant Education Program. She is the recipient of the 2015 Proxmire Award for leadership in public awareness of Alzheimer's disease and dementia, and the Hearing Loss Association of America's 2015 Walter T. Ridder Award. In 2007, Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) honored Phillips with the Straight for Equality Award for her support of equality.

SOURCE Andrews McMeel Syndication