Scripps Howard Foundation Sponsoring Competition for Most Valuable Staffer

Posted on August 27, 1999

The Scripps Howard Foundation, in partnership with College Media Advisers Inc., is accepting nominations for a national competition to identify five outstanding college newspaper staff members. The winners of the "Most Valuable Staffer" competition each will receive a $5,000 scholarship and an all-expenses paid trip to New York for the College Media Adviser's Spring National College Media convention in March 2000. Matching $5,000 grants also will be awarded to the students' newspapers.

Scholarships and matching grant winners will be announced in February. The Foundation and College Media Advisers will be accepting nominations through Dec. 1. The competition will be judged by a panel of academic and newspaper professionals.

Any college newspaper in the U.S. that publishes at least weekly during the regular school year may nominate one staff member. The letter of nomination must be written by the newspaper advisor, student publications director, a department chair or dean, or other appropriate nominator and should explain how the student has been "most valuable" to the newspaper. The staff member must be enrolled as a full-time student in the college or university, but is not required to be a journalism or communications major, and may work in any department of the newspaper.

The nomination package should include a resume; three clips (photocopies accepted) of published work from the college newspaper (story, photographs, ads, editing samples, etc.); a letter from the applicant explaining his/her philosophy of what a newspaper should be and how his/her contributions have helped the newspaper; a 500-word essay discussing a current industry issue of the student's choice; a transcript of college course work; and a copy of the newspaper itself.

Mail complete nomination packet to:
Jack Willis
Most Valuable Staffer Competition
The University of Oklahoma
860 Van Vleet Oval
Norman, Okla. 73019