Best Journalism Writing Scholarships in 2026

Since 1970, RTDNF has awarded more than $1 million in scholarships and fellowships to more than 500 young journalists. Scholarships are open to college students pursuing careers in radio, television, or digital journalism. To apply, students must complete an online form for each scholarship including their cover letter, resume, and 3-5 work samples.

The Mary Quon Moy Ing Memorial Scholarship will award up to $2,000 to a graduating high school senior who will be attending a college or university to pursue a journalism career. A winner will be selected based on academic and journalistic achievement, financial need, commitment to journalism and/or sensitivity to AAPI issues. Applicants must submit a resume, brief personal statements, and optional work samples.

The Anna Chennault Scholarship awards $5,000 to an Asian American graduate student pursuing journalism as a career. Candidates will be judged on academic and journalistic achievement, commitment to the field of journalism and sensitivity to AAPI issues. Applicants must produce a piece of concise and comprehensive journalism that provides unique context on a current geopolitical issue based on a prompt provided by CIC or AAJA.

We award small artist support grants ($500 – $2,000) to individual feminist women in the arts who are citizens in the U.S and Canada. We welcome applications from women artists and writers who exhibit high quality and originality, use feminism as their central interpretive lens, and validate and express intersectional views.

The AAJA Sports Task Force offers a scholarship of up to $2,000 to current college students interested in pursuing sports journalism/media as a career through the Al Young Sports Journalism scholarship. Applicants must submit a resume, cover letter, and essay on the assigned topic.

GPEF annually awards scholarships to Georgia residents attending Georgia colleges who are pursuing a career in the field of print journalism. Students must fill out the attached application, which includes two personal essay questions. Four scholarships of varying amounts will be given.

This $1,000 award will be given to a high school senior on the staff of an NSPA member newspaper with a minimum 3.5 grade point average on a 4.0 scale or equivalent. In addition to the entry form, applicants must submit three published editorials and a brief recommendation from the adviser.

These JEA scholarships recognize some of the top high school journalists in the country. The contest begins at the state level. Winning portfolios from state Journalist of the Year competitions are sent to the national level. Deadlines vary from state to state, so check with your JEA State Director for contest information specific to your state, including where to send your entry.

One high school junior from each state and Washington, D.C., with an interest in journalism will be selected for an all-expenses-paid program on June 21-26, 2026, featuring panel conversations with journalists and multimedia storytellers, newsroom visits, networking events, a chance to meet news industry leaders, and unique tours of our nation’s capital. Includes a $1,000 college scholarship and ongoing support from more than 1,700 alumni. Build your skills, grow your network and get a head start on your future.

The Leonard M. Perryman Communications Scholarship for Racial Ethnic Minority Students awards a $2,500 scholarship for the undergraduate study of religion journalism or mass communications. It recognizes of the work of Leonard M. Perryman, a renowned journalist for the United Methodist Church. Each application should include a personal essay and samples of your journalistic work.

The $6,000 Stoody-West Fellowships in religious journalism are offered in recognition of Dr. Ralph Stoody and Dr. Arthur West, who were leaders in public relations and information services in the United Methodist Church. Each application should include a personal essay and samples of your journalistic work.

The Outdoor Writers Association of America (OWAA) annually sponsors the Bodie McDowell Scholarship program to support tomorrow’s communicators. Ideal candidates are talented communicators with outdoor interests who can demonstrate a record of accomplishment in and commitment to the fields of outdoor communications.

The Outdoor Writers Association of America (OWAA) has established the John Madson Fellowship as part of its commitment to improve the professional skills of outdoor communicators. Each year, the OWAA awards scholarships to selected individuals seeking to enhance their journalistic abilities. Applicants must include an explanation of their need and proposal for continuing education, an itemized budget of miscellaneous expenses, and include a sample of their work.

The Peter Agris Memorial Scholarship is for Greek-Americans pursuing careers in journalism and communications. Applications must include a personal essay on "what values from your Greek heritage you hope to carry with you into your career as a journalist," as well as journalistic samples.

The NYFWA offers scholarships to enrolled undergraduate or graduate journalism students in the tri-state New York area who are seriously interested in pursuing a career in business and financial journalism. Applications should contain a personal essay explaining why you are pursuing a career in business and financial journalism, as well as 3-5 samples of your financial writing.