DEADLINE:
Sunday, December 1, 2024

Graduate and undergraduate students at North American colleges and universities or American students studying abroad are invited to apply for Overseas Press Club Foundation Scholar Awards. An applicant must be a college junior, senior or graduate student enrolled in a degree program at the application deadline and have demonstrated an interest in international journalism.

In a typical year, the Foundation grants 18 scholar awards for the pursuit of academic goals. Winners receive either a $3,000 scholarship for independent work or a $4,000 fellowship to be used to fund time in a bureau of a leading news organization such as the Associated Press, Reuters, Bloomberg or the Wall Street Journal.

Our program is aimed primarily at helping students, of whatever nationality, who wish to pursue international journalism, rather than returning to their countries of origin and becoming local reporters. Our program is also heavily oriented toward helping journalists launch their careers rather than assisting mid-career professionals.

The application must include the following three elements:

1) COVER LETTER: The one-page cover letter should be autobiographical in nature and should address such questions as how the applicant developed an interest in journalism and in a particular part of the world or international communities or issues, and how they would use the scholarship to further their career in journalism. Please explain any gaps or leaps in progress.

2) RESUME: The one-page resume should emphasize past journalism experience as well as language and media skills and visa/passport status for working overseas. Please include any international or domestic postings, freelance published work or independent unpublished projects.

3) WORK SAMPLE (choose one, either print, photo, video or audio):

  • Print journalism:
    Applicants must submit a writing sample of 600-800 words that should concentrate on an area of the world or an international issue that is in keeping with the applicant’s interest and experience. Please mention if the work had been published previously and if it were edited or condensed, or if it is a school project. Winners have written on such diverse topics as playing blackjack on the Trans-Siberian Railroad, the Indian diaspora in South Sudan and a Taiwanese bookstore in mainland China. Applicants need not have traveled abroad to apply. Past scholars have won for describing the dynamics among Syrians and Lebanese immigrants in a bar in Brooklyn or reporting on Ukrainian refugees on Long Island.

  • Photojournalism:
    Please send one PDF of photos or a link to a website or other location where judges can view the work online. An entry may be a feature, personality, or news journalism piece, and may be either narrated or rely completely on interviews and verité.  Applicants are also required to submit a writing sample of approximately 500 words that contextualize the photos, explaining how the images were captured or their significance.

  • Video and Audio Journalism:
    Please send a link where the judges can view or listen to the work online. An entry may be a feature, personality, or news journalism piece, and may be either narrated or rely completely on interviews and verité. No entry should be shorter than two minutes or longer than seven minutes and should consist primarily of international interest. Applicants are also required to submit a writing sample of approximately 500 words that contextualize the video or audio entry, explaining how the images or audio were captured or their significance as well as the role the applicant played in the creation of the piece. Applicants must give appropriate credit to all team members who participated. Each video or audio file must demonstrate the full arch of the story, with a beginning, middle and end.

Additional Notes for the Applications:

The substance of the writing sample/photography/videos/audio may have appeared in an individual's previously published work but should be reformatted to meet the requirements of the application. Do not send a clip or URL for the writing sample.

Judges respond well to applications showing strong original reporting skills, color and a sense of perspective and have a clear beginning, middle and end. Applications that are exceedingly long may be disqualified. Carefully proofread your materials.

As four of the 18 awards are reserved for international business or economic coverage, the judges encourage applicants with an interest in these sectors to provide work samples that demonstrate a strong understanding of global economic topics such as trade, finance, emerging markets, immigration or climate and public health issues.

The Scholar Awards reception will be held in New York City in late February or early March 2025 and will be part of a two-day series of events including relevant training and networking with professional journalists. Winners are required to participate. In addition, winners become members of the Overseas Press Club. Winners will be contacted by mid-January and posted on our website.

All applications with resume, cover letter and work samples should be emailed to foundation@opcofamerica.org.

For more information, contact Jane Reilly, Executive Director, at foundation@opcofamerica.org or call 201-819-2639. Or contact Katri Reilly, Associate Director, at katri@opcofamerica.org