Hearst Journalism Awards Program
Scholarship Sponsored by Hearst Foundation
Established in 1960, the Hearst Journalism Awards Program aims to bolster journalism education at tertiary institutions by offering scholarships to students who excel in college-level journalism. The program also provides matching grants to the students' respective schools. The 63rd iteration of the annual program is set to distribute up to $700,000 in awards through five writing competitions, two photojournalism competitions, one audio competition, two television competitions, and four multimedia competitions, all culminating in championship finals.
Undergraduate journalism majors currently enrolled in ACEJMC-accredited domestic universities are eligible to participate in the program. However, an exception is made for students entering the photojournalism competitions who may not be journalism majors. Participants must be actively engaged in campus media and have published articles, photographs, or produced newscasts or multimedia pieces that can be submitted in the writing, photojournalism, broadcast, and/or multimedia competitions.
The Hearst Foundations, established by publisher William Randolph Hearst in 1948 under California non-profit laws, have contributed over a billion dollars to education, health care, social services, and the arts throughout the country since their inception.
Below are the requirements for participation in the writing, photojournalism, audio, television, and/or multimedia competitions:
A) Only member colleges and universities of the Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communications (ASJMC) with accredited undergraduate journalism-mass communication programs, located in the United States or its territories, are eligible. A list of accredited schools can be found here.
B) Each competition can have a maximum of two entrants from each university, except for the Multimedia IV – Team Competition.
C) The participating school is responsible for selecting the two eligible entrants per competition.
D) Students participating in the writing, audio, television, and/or multimedia competitions must be enrolled as undergraduate majors in the accredited unit at the time of entry publication, airing, or posting. Photo entrants are exempted from this requirement.
E) Graduates from spring, summer, or fall 2022 may participate in the 2022-2023 program year contests. However, spring or summer 2022 graduates are not eligible for the 2023 National Championship. Entries must have been published/aired/posted prior to graduation.
F) Pre-majors can participate provided they intend to declare a major in the accredited unit and this is verified by the school. This rule does not apply to photo competition entrants. Participants must be enrolled at least half-time and cannot enter the competition in more than three contest years.
G) Student entrants must be actively involved in campus media and have published articles, photographs, produced newscasts, or multimedia pieces that can be submitted in the monthly competitions.
H) High school students, graduate students, or undergraduate journalism majors with one year or more of full-time professional experience (or its equivalent) at the time of entry publication, production, or posting are not eligible. This includes multiple internships totaling twelve months or more.
I) Students majoring in the accredited unit but enrolled in an authorized international study-abroad program and receiving credit from their home universities are also eligible.
J) Internships can occur at any time during the calendar year, and a student can be declared full-time during an internship in any summer, semester, or quarter. An internship is defined as a position in any mass medium or in a professional capacity in journalism communications.
K) A writing entrant is disqualified from future writing competitions after winning a first-place scholarship or two second-through-fifth-place scholarships.
L) A photo entrant is disqualified from future photo competitions after placing first-through-fifth in any of the two photo competitions.
M) An audio or television entrant is disqualified from future broadcast competitions after placing first-through-fifth in any of the broadcast competitions.
N) A multimedia entrant is disqualified from future multimedia competitions after winning first place in any of the multimedia competitions.
O) An entrant who has won first place in the writing, photojournalism, audio, television, or multimedia Championships is not eligible to compete in future competitions in the same category.
P) All entries and materials submitted become the property of the William Randolph Hearst Foundation and cannot be returned. The entrant retains copyright of the entry. However, the Foundation and any of its licensees are granted non-exclusive, perpetual, worldwide rights to publish, use, distribute, and display the entry, in whole or in part, and to use the entrant’s name and likeness, in all print and non-print media and formats and by all means and technologies now known or hereafter developed, including use for promotional purposes.