Scholarships & Awards

OPPORTUNITIES FOR SCHOLARSHIPS AND AWARDS: OVERVIEW

Reporters and editors on school newspapers, like The Current Wave, are eligible to apply for a significant amount of awards and scholarships. Other students who intend to study journalism or communications in college are also encouraged to apply for these scholarships and awards.

LOCAL, STATE, REGIONAL, AND NATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES:

• State / National: Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Scholarship & Conference
  • Deadline: February 1, 2019
  • Awarded annually to one junior at any Rhode Island high school
  • Award includes a $1000 scholarship and an expenses-paid trip to the Newseum in Washington, D.C. for a journalism conference from June 14 – 20, 2019
  • Several NKHS students, most recently Jacob Maguire in 2016, have been selected as Rhode Island winners for this scholarship in the past. Read Jacob Maguire’s article about the conference that he attended in Washington, D.C. from June 18 – 23, 2016: https://currentwave.org/updatedfreespirit16/
  • NKHS winners / alumni of the Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference:
    • John Radzinski, 2003
    • Chris Curley, 2004
    • Brittany Nugent, 2005
    • Samantha Turner, 2006
    • Jacob Maguire, 2016
    • Chris Dunlaevy, 2019
  • Website (for more information): http://www.newseuminstitute.org/initiatives/al-neuharth-free-spirit-and-journalism-conference/

• Regional: Scholarships from the New England Newspaper and Press Association (NENPA)
  • Up to ten $1,000 scholarships are awarded each year to aspiring journalists. Seniors in high school and college students who reside in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine are eligible to apply.
  • Website (for more information): http://www.nenpa.com/story/scholarships
• National: Scholarships from the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA)
  • Scholarships include Wikoff Scholarship for Editorial Leadership and Courage in Student Journalism Award
  • Students on NSPA’s Journalism Honor Roll are also eligible for one or more $1,000 scholarships.
  • Website (for more information): http://studentpress.org/nspa/awards/#scholarships

AWARDS / OPPORTUNITIES FOR RECOGNITION:

• Regional: Various contests from the New England Scholastic Press Association (NESPA)
  • New England students, including reporters on The Current Wave, are eligible to submit their articles to various contests from the New England Scholastic Press Association, such as the annual Localizing Contest and the annual Special Achievement Awards for various works in different sections of the newspaper (IE: news stories, feature stories, photos, etc.).
  • Several NKHS students, such as Alexa Brennan (Class of 2016) and Jacob Maguire (Class of 2017), have received Special Achievement Awards. Maguire was also recognized in the 2015 Localizing Contest.
  • Website (for more information): http://blogs.bu.edu/nespa/
• National: Journalism Honor Roll from the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA)
  • Students who have worked in student media (IE: newspaper staff, yearbook staff, TV program) for two or more years are eligible to apply for NSPA’s Journalism Honor Roll. These students also must have at least a 3.5 GPA (on a 4.0 scale).
  • Students on NSPA’s Journalism Honor Roll are also eligible for one or more $1,000 scholarships.
  • Website (for more information): http://studentpress.org/nspa/awards/#scholarships

Check back continuously for updates.