2021 Deadline Club Scholarships – Entry period now closed
Celebrating the potential of student journalists
The Deadline Club, New York City’s chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, supports and encourages journalism in the metropolitan area through its annual scholarship program. It funds these financial awards through The Deadline Club Foundation, a 501(c)3 charitable organization. This year, the Foundation will award merit-based scholarships of $2,500 each and one-year student SPJ memberships.
The competition is open to undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in journalism or journalism-oriented communications programs in the New York City metropolitan area, which includes all campuses within 50 miles of Columbus Circle. Recipients will be determined by a panel of journalism and communications professionals and educators that looks for students who have demonstrated, through both scholarship and practice, a potential to contribute to the highest standards and goals of the craft. The committee’s decisions are final.
Scholarship recipients will be notified by email no later than April 20. Recipients are invited to attend The Deadline Club’s annual awards dinner as its guests. The awards celebration will be held virtually on Monday, May 17, 2021, where the scholarship winners will be publicly congratulated in front of an audience of New York City journalists. Unsuccessful applicants will not be notified, and applicants should not contact The Deadline Club to inquire about their application status.
How to Enter
1) Complete the application form and submit electronically on this site. The entry period will end at 11:59 p.m. ET on Monday, March 22, 2021. You should be prepared to complete all required fields and uploads at the time of submission. Please follow the file naming instructions included in the application.
2) Submit a 300-word essay (typed, double-spaced) describing your reasons for pursuing a career in journalism, your greatest accomplishments to date and how this scholarship will help take you to the next level.
3) In 1,000 characters or less describe the impact this scholarship would have on your pursuit of a journalism education. This is included as a specific question on the application form.
4) Submit three previously published audio, video, writing or multimedia samples.
5) Submit two letters of recommendation, at least one of which is from an educator familiar with your academic record. If the person writing your letter of recommendation prefers that you not see it, it can be emailed to scholarships@deadlineclub.org.
Please note that incomplete applications as well as those that do not comply with the guidelines in the Eligibility Rules will be disqualifie
ELIGIBILITY RULES
Eligible students include both undergraduate and graduate students majoring in journalism or a journalism-oriented communications program at colleges and universities in the New York City metropolitan area, which includes all campuses within a 50-mile radius of Columbus Circle. International students who will be attending college within this geographic area are eligible to apply.
Prospective students who have been accepted by a qualifying program in the New York metropolitan area, and who plan to enroll by September, are eligible to apply provided they meet all other criteria. They do not need to be currently enrolled in a New York metropolitan area school. However, they will not receive their award until they provide evidence of official enrollment in a qualifying program; scholarship winners will receive a yearlong membership in a student SPJ chapter or The Deadline Club.
The Deadline Club is open to all local journalism and communication students.
Join The Deadline Club
The Deadline Club is open to all local journalism students. Just join SPJ and select The Deadline Club as your local chapter.