Bernard Kilgore Memorial Scholarship
Scholarship Sponsored by Garden State Scholarstic Press Association
Introduction
The family of Bernard Kilgore has established a memorial scholarship with the New Jersey Press Foundation to honor his legacy. Each year the Foundation will present a $5,000 scholarship to the New Jersey High School Journalist of the Year, selected through a competition run by the Garden State Scholastic Press Association (GSSPA).
Award overview and announcement
- Prize: $5,000 annual scholarship.
- Selected through: GSSPA’s statewide competition.
- Announcement: winner revealed at the Spring Advisers’ Conference.
- Payment: the $5,000 check is issued after the recipient supplies GSSPA with a copy of the college acceptance letter for the institution they will attend.
- Additional recognition: because GSSPA is affiliated with the Journalism Education Association (JEA), the recipient will be named JEA’s New Jersey Journalist of the Year and the portfolio will be submitted for consideration in the JEA National Journalist of the Year contest.
Who may nominate and how entries are judged
- Nominations: must come from high school journalism teachers or school newspaper advisers whose schools belong to GSSPA. Endorsements from professional newspaper editors are welcomed.
- Adviser role: the faculty adviser should select one student who best meets the eligibility and criteria, and together they prepare the student’s portfolio.
- Judging: entries will be evaluated by editors from newspapers that are members of the New Jersey Press Association.
- Deadline: entries must be received or postmarked by Feb. 7. (Get the complete application packet for submission details.)
Eligibility requirements
To be eligible for the Bernard Kilgore Memorial Scholarship, applicants must meet all of the following:
1. Be a graduating senior with a minimum 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale.
2. Have participated in high school journalism for at least two years.
3. Intend to major in journalism in college and pursue a career in journalism.
4. Have an adviser who is a member of GSSPA.
5. Submit the entry by the stated deadline (received or postmarked by Feb. 7).
Selection criteria
Portfolios will be compared against one another and judged primarily on the quality of work. Strong applicants typically demonstrate:
1. Versatility — ability to cover a range of topics effectively.
2. Responsibility — careful research and adherence to ethical reporting standards.
3. Inquisitiveness — initiative in pursuing important stories for school and community audiences.
4. Skill — competent, creative production of high-quality journalism.
In addition to these qualities, the submission should reflect a sustained commitment to student journalism throughout the nominee’s high school career.
Funding and background
The Kilgore Scholarship was established through gifts to the New Jersey Newspaper Foundation from the Kilgore family, The Princeton Packet, the Dow Jones Foundation and friends following Bernard Kilgore’s recognition as the Business Journalist of the Century in March 2000.
About Bernard Kilgore
Bernard Kilgore was a leading figure at The Wall Street Journal and at Dow Jones & Company for more than 25 years. He is widely credited with transforming the Journal from a small financial paper into the nation’s only national daily at the time of his death in 1967; he was 59. Kilgore purchased The Princeton Packet in 1955, launched The National Observer (the country’s first national weekly newspaper), expanded Barron’s, and grew the Dow Jones News Service into a global provider of business and financial news. Concerned about nurturing journalistic talent, he founded The Newspaper Fund in 1958; one of its earliest efforts sponsored summer study programs that allowed inexperienced high school journalism teachers to return to college to study journalism.
For the application packet and more details, contact GSSPA or the New Jersey Press/Foundation offices.