Society Of Professional Journalists Foundation Scholarship
Before you spend hours on this
Will this scholarship actually lower your cost?
Not always. Many colleges reduce your financial-aid package when you win an outside scholarship — sometimes dollar-for-dollar — so the money can end up saving the school instead of you. It's called scholarship displacement. Two free tools tell you where you actually stand:
General guidance, not financial advice — your school's financial aid office is the only authority on how they treat outside awards. Always confirm with them before deciding.
Best fit for
HS seniors and college students in journalism / communications programs with actual journalism work to show. NOT for vague 'I might major in journalism' applicants — SPJ wants to see published work.
What they actually look for
SPJ Foundation awards 15+ named scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 — ONE application qualifies you for all matching awards. The Mark of Excellence Awards (separate program) recognize student journalism work at the regional level and feed talent to SPJ scholarships. About 50 winners/yr across all SPJ scholarship awards combined. Local SPJ chapter awards (many states have them) have even smaller applicant pools — apply nationally AND locally.
What you'll need
- Currently studying journalism OR planning to major in journalism, communications, or related
- Demonstrated journalism work: school newspaper, yearbook, broadcast, podcast, online publication
- Portfolio of 3-5 published pieces (school paper is acceptable)
- Essays on journalism interests, ethics, and goals
- One recommendation from a journalism teacher / advisor / editor
- SPJ membership ($45/yr for student members — recommended but not required for most awards)
When to start
National SPJ application typically opens January, closes February-March of senior year (or any college year). Mark of Excellence Awards entries due in late November for the previous year's work — submit your strongest published pieces.
Watch out for
Your portfolio MUST be in PDF format with proper attribution and publication source for each piece — informal screenshots or links won't qualify. Take 30 minutes to assemble a clean PDF portfolio in October-November before deadline crunch. Also: SPJ takes journalism ETHICS seriously — if you discuss controversial or sensitive coverage, frame it through SPJ's Code of Ethics (which they expect you to know).