National Press Club scholarship applications open for journalism students; deadline is March 18

WASHINGTON, Feb. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Aspiring journalists can apply now for any of four National Press Club scholarships for students committed to a career in journalism.

Applications are open for each of the four scholarships offered in 2022, valued at $50,000 total. The deadline to apply is Friday, March 18.

• The Scholarship for Journalism Diversity Honoring Julie Schoo is a $5,000 scholarship awarded to a high school senior. The purpose of the scholarship, named for the former executive director of the National Press Club Journalism Institute, is to recruit promising future journalists who will bring diversity to American journalism. The award can be renewed for up to three years at $5,000 per year.
• The Richard G. Zimmerman Scholarship is a one-time scholarship of $5,000 named for a long-time National Press Club member who died in 2008 and endowed a scholarship in aid of high school seniors who wish to pursue a career in journalism.
• The Wes Vernon Broadcast Scholarship, established in 2021, supports diversity within the field of broadcast journalism while honoring longtime radio journalist Wes Vernon, a former National Press Club member. The scholarship is $5,000 per year awarded to a student who demonstrates a commitment to a career in broadcast journalism. The award can be renewed up to three years. The award is open to any student pursuing an education in broadcast journalism.
• The Dennis and Shirley Feldman Fellowship recognizes a student pursuing graduate studies in journalism with a one-time stipend of $5,000 to help defray tuition costs.

Application instructions, including eligibility requirements, are available here. Applications will close at 5 p.m. ET Friday, March 18, 2022.

The National Press Club scholarship program, administered by the nonprofit National Press Club Journalism Institute, has impacted the careers of dozens of journalists-in-training through its years. 

"I can't thank the National Press Club enough. Since 2018, I've watched my writing, reporting, pitching and story sense improve tenfold," said Tony Madden, a University of Missouri student who received the Scholarship for Journalism Diversity Honoring Julie Schoo in 2018.

Since receiving the scholarship, Madden has interned for Traklife Media Group, based in Los Angeles and earned numerous awards for their student journalism work.

"Now in my second to last semester before graduation, I've landed a role as Culture Editor for Vox Magazine, Columbia's city magazine," Madden said. "Next year, I plan to move to Nashville and focus on the arts and culture journalism I've come to love in my time at the Missouri School of Journalism. None of this could have come without the help of the Press Club."

Founded in 1908, the National Press Club is the world's leading professional organization for journalists. The Club has 3,000 members representing nearly every major news organization and is a leading voice for press freedom in the United States and around the world.

The National Press Club Journalism Institute promotes an engaged global citizenry through an independent and free press, and equips journalists with skills and standards to inform the public in ways that inspire a more representative democracy. As the non-profit affiliate of the National Press Club, the Institute powers journalism in the public interest.

For information on National Press Club scholarships, visit www.pressclubinstitute.org or email [email protected].

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

SOURCE National Press Club Journalism Institute