National Press Club names 2026 scholarship winners

WASHINGTON, May 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Press Club, the world's leading professional organization for journalists, has awarded $34,000 to six exemplary students as part of its annual scholarship program to honor promising future journalists serving their communities.

The 2026 scholarship winners are:

Jackson Juzang, who was recognized with the Dennis and Shirley Feldman Fellowship, a one-time scholarship of $5,000 for graduate students. Juzang is an incoming graduate student at USC Annenberg. While attending Haverford College, he founded the Philadelphia Student Press Association — a citywide coalition uniting student-led newsrooms and journalists across universities in the region — in addition to a multimedia company creating original content for sports, music, comedy, and entertainment verticals. Read more about Juzang.

Sabrina Lam, who was recognized with the Bob Lewis Scholarship, an award providing housing and a $4,000 stipend to support a student journalist of color interning at a news media outlet in Washington, D.C. Lam is a POLITICO summer intern and recent graduate of Emerson College. During college, she covered breaking news, immigration policy, food insecurity, housing inequity, and social justice during internships at NBC LA and The Boston Globe, and for Emerson's student media. Read more about Lam.

Noah White, who was recognized with the inaugural Rich Passan Sports Writing Scholarship, a $5,000 award given to an undergraduate college student who demonstrates excellence in sports journalism. White is a student at the University of Florida, where he covers Florida football and basketball for The Miami Herald, in addition to managing a 20-student sports magazine start-up. Read more about White.

Santiago Campos, who was recognized with the Wes Vernon Broadcast Scholarship, an award that totals as much as $20,000 over four years. During high school, Campos participated in the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs and covered how U.S. immigration policies are impacting local communities. His work was nationally broadcast on PBS NewsHour and published in Teen Vogue. Read more about Campos.

Poojasai Kona, who was recognized with the Scholarship for Journalism Diversity Honoring Julie Schoo, an award that totals as much as $20,000 over four years. Kona is a graduating high school senior, where she served as managing editor at her school's news outlet. She is also a state organizing officer for New Voices of Texas — a coalition of advisers and student journalists working to secure press freedom rights statewide. Read more about Kona.

Karim Melek, who was recognized with the Richard G. Zimmerman Scholarship, a one-time award of $5,000 for high school seniors. Melek is an incoming freshman at Northwestern University. He served as editor-in-chief at his high school newspaper and also founded The Illinois New Voices Coalition, a statewide, student-driven movement to strengthen press freedom and adviser protections in Illinois. Read more about Melek.

The National Press Club Journalism Institute administers the scholarships for the National Press Club. If you'd like to support the student-focused programs, please click here to donate.

About the Institute

The National Press Club Journalism Institute promotes First Amendment values by equipping journalists in Washington, D.C., and nationwide with the skills, knowledge, standards, resources and networks to empower and inform the public. The Institute is the nonprofit affiliate of the National Press Club.

About the National Press Club

Founded in 1908, the National Press Club is the world's leading professional organization for journalists. With 3,000 members from nearly every leading news organization, the Club is a leading voice for press freedom in the U.S. and worldwide.

Press contact: Beth Francesco, Executive Director, National Press Club Journalism Institute, [email protected] 

SOURCE National Press Club Journalism Institute