Help NINA find the next great high school student journalist
The Northern Illinois News Association will award a $1,000 scholarship to the high school senior who earns the John Etheredge Award for the Northern Illinois High School Journalist of the Year.
The scholarship competition, recently named after longtime NINA board member and Record Newspapers Editor John Etheredge, is open to graduating high school seniors who plan to continue their journalism education at the college level.
Last year's winner was Victoria Feng of Buffalo Grove, a graduate of Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire.
NINA President John Lampinen said the scholarship fund was created to encourage high school students to continue to study journalism and to promote journalism careers.
"As a professional organization dedicated to advancing print and online journalism education and training in Northern Illinois, we are excited at the prospect of awarding this scholarship to a student who shows promise for a career in our profession," he said.
Applicants must submit a copy of their high school transcripts, which must include grade-point average. They also must submit:
• A letter of recommendation from a high school counselor, newspaper adviser or professional supervisor. Additional letters of recommendation are welcome.
• A portfolio of work published in either print or online. Examples include: news, sports and feature articles; photographs or photo pages, page layouts or full copies of a newspaper showing the student's contribution to the overall product.
• An autobiographical essay that includes a description of career goals.
• A completed nomination form.
The application material must be postmarked April 7 or earlier.
The entry form and rules are available at ninaonlinedotorg.wordpress.com.
In addition to the scholarship, the winner will receive a plaque and will be the subject of an article in the association's online newsletter.
NINA's coverage area covers 29 counties in northern Illinois. Its headquarters are located at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb.
For questions, contact Shelley Hendricks at (815) 753-4239 or at shendricks@niu.edu.