Student journalists, like their professional colleagues, dedicate themselves to covering their communities across platforms. Juggling classwork, part-time work, and journalism activities can often go without reward. The National Press Club and NPC Journalism Institute are proud to administer scholarships honoring promising future journalists serving their communities.
Deadlines for the 2023 NPC scholarships have passed. The 2024 scholarship applications will open in December. We will post all new opportunities in our newsletters, which you can subscribe to here.
2023 scholarships included:
The Scholarship for Journalism Diversity Honoring Julie Schoo
The Scholarship for Journalism Diversity Honoring Julie Schoo consists of a $5,000 one-year scholarship. 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 up to three years, for a total of $20,000 toward educational expenses. Students do not need to be a U.S. citizen to apply for this scholarship.
The Richard G. Zimmerman Scholarship
The Richard G. Zimmerman Scholarship is 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. Recipients receive a one-time scholarship of $5,000. Students do not need to be a U.S. citizen to apply for this scholarship.
Your tax-deductible donation today can support the student journalists who will lead the industry into tomorrow. Please visit our giving page to donate. There, you can designate which scholarship you’d like to support.
The Wes Vernon Broadcast Scholarship
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 provides $5,000 annually to a student who demonstrates a commitment to a career in broadcast journalism. The award can be renewed up to three years, for a total of $20,000 toward educational expenses.
The award is open to any student at any stage in their career pursuing a degree in broadcast journalism. Preference is given to those students enrolled in community colleges, as outlined by the scholarship donor. Students do not need to be a U.S. citizen to apply for this scholarship.
The Lewis Scholarship (offered in spring, summer, and fall)
The Lewis Scholarship, established in 2023, provides free housing and a monthly stipend to support student journalists of color with internships at news media outlets in Washington, D.C.
The Lewis Scholarship has an estimated value of $10,000 and is awarded to one undergraduate student journalist of color each fall, spring, and summer semester. The scholarship will provide a stipend of $1,000 per month and free housing provided through Washington Intern Student Housing for the duration of the student’s internship, usually four months.
The Dennis and Shirley Feldman Fellowship
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. Applicants are not required to have published journalism work samples but should be prepared to demonstrate strong writing skills and commitment to the field. See application for details.
The 2023 scholarship winners are:
Wes Vernon Broadcast Scholarship: Tanya Velázquez of Fort Worth, Texas
Dennis and Shirley Feldman Fellowship: Veronica Irwin of San Francisco, California
The Scholarship for Journalism Diversity Honoring Julie Schoo: Amaya Collier of Austin, Texas
Richard G. Zimmerman Scholarship: Alexa D’Amato of Boxford, Massachusetts
Spring Lewis Scholarship: Komlavi Adissem of St. Louis, Missouri
Summer Lewis Scholarship: Heidi Perez-Moreno of Miami, Florida
The 2022 scholarship winners are:
Wes Vernon Broadcast Scholarship: Anissa Carby of Miami Gardens, Florida
Dennis and Shirley Feldman Fellowship: Sean Cummings of Portland, Oregon
The Scholarship for Journalism Diversity Honoring Julie Schoo: Kyla McGhee of Raleigh, North Carolina
Richard G. Zimmerman Scholarship: Katrina Machetta of Houston, Texas
For a list of previous winners, click here.
“Since 2018, I’ve watched my writing, reporting, pitching and story sense improve in tenfold. … Now in my second to last semester before graduation, I’ve landed a role as Culture Editor for Vox Magazine, Columbia’s city magazine. 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.”
Tony Madden, University of Missouri student and 2018 recipient of the Scholarship for Journalism Diversity Honoring Julie Schoo
Additional information
The National Press Club’s Scholarship Committee reviews applications and selects the recipient for each NPC scholarship. The review process takes place during the spring and summer. Scholarship recipients will be notified by the National Press Club president by phone. Scholarship recipients will be invited to participate in the National Press Club’s annual award celebration. Scholarship winners are also awarded one-year complimentary membership to the National Press Club.
The National Press Club Journalism Institute, the nonprofit affiliate of the National Press Club, administers the scholarships listed above. Please email the Institute team at [email protected] with inquiries about the application process. Due to the volume of scholarship applications the National Press Club receives for these scholarships, we cannot reply to inquiries about the status of your application.