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The National Press Photographers Foundation scholarships (NPPF) announces new rules to streamline the entry process. 

Students can gather up the material entered in the University of Missouri’s College Photographer of the Year (CPOY) competition and use it again to apply for NPPF scholarships.  Graduating seniors are eligible for the first time!  Deadlines are different: NPPF’s is later. Students get a breather between deadlines.

  • NPPF picture preparation requirements are the same as CPOY.
  • File format requirements are the same.
  • The 2017 NPPF Scholarship competition will open Nov. 1, 2016.
  • NPPF deadline for entries is Dec. 31
  • CPOY deadline is Oct. 2. 
  • Seniors and last-year graduate students are now eligible to enter.
  • Awards will be announced during the 2017 spring semester.

We offer eight $2,000 scholarships and details of those scholarships are here.

The College Photographer of the Year (CPOY) competition opens Sept. 1.

Interested students should consider entering this portfolio-based competition managed by the University of Missouri. The National Press Photographers Foundation supplies the Col. William Lookadoo award to the College Photographer of the Year and the Milton Freier Memorial Award to the runner-up.

If you were or will be an undergrad or graduate student enrolled for at least one semester, trimester or quarter between September 2015 and December 2016 at any college or university worldwide your work is eligible, provided you have NOT worked two or more years as a full-time professional photographer, videographer, audio reporter or multimedia producer (including paid internships).

Follow this link after September 1, 2016, to apply to CPOY: http://www.cpoy.org

NPPF Scholarship Application

NPPF scholarships are awarded to encourage those with the talent and dedication to photojournalism and who need financial help to continue their studies. Applicants must be enrolled full-time in a four-year college or university in the United States. Foreign students studying here are eligible.

  • Still photographers do not apply for a particular scholarship but are considered for a pool of six scholarships: Bob East, Reid Blackburn, Bob Baxter, Kit C. King,  Jimi Lott and NPPF Still and Multimedia Scholarship.
  • The TV scholarship is intended for those who intend to be video storytellers. This includes those who shoot only, report and shoot and those in other media whose main work is video. Only video links are accepted for this scholarship.
  • The Rich Clarkson Founders Scholarship will be awarded to those students who have demonstrated significant leadership in their field and elsewhere. The Clarkson Scholarship may be awarded to a student winning one of the other scholarships. Clarkson applicants may apply to the pool of still scholarships or the TV scholarship and ask to be considered for the Clarkson Scholarship.

We have three judging panels of top professionals. One panel judges the still scholarships. Another panel judges the TV Scholarship. A third panel judges the Clarkson Scholarship.

Your portfolio, multimedia and video entries can be developed and managed online during the two-month entry period. You will have the ability to add or delete from your portfolio up until the deadline.

Preparing to apply

Students intending to apply for NPPF Scholarships can prepare before our November 1 application opening.

  • A recommendation is required from a professor familiar with the student’s work.
    • Get: Professor’s name, email address and telephone number
    • Applicants for the Clarkson Scholarship will need a second recommendation from a non-academic person familiar with your leadership qualities.
    • The person(s) making recommendations will enter them online.
    • There a few short essay questions that can be written ahead of time.
      • What are your major academic and professional accomplishments?
      • What is your need for a NPPF scholarship?
      • What are your career goals following graduation?
    • For the Clarkson Scholarship
      • Describe your leadership skills and experiences.
    • Your overall Grade Point Average and points system (such as 2.8 on a 4-point system) are necessary. Check your registrar’s semester grade notice or your transcript.
    • Videos and multimedia must be directly linked on the Internet.  YouTube, Vimeo, a news website or a personal website are fine. NOTE: NPPF and CPOY rules differ here. CPOY requires a file to be uploaded.

Image preparation

  • Images must be JPEG format
  • Recommended JPEG compression setting is between 10-11 and no less than 9
  • The minimum accepted image size is 2,500px on the longest side
  • Images should be no longer than 14 inches at 300DPI on the longest side (4,200px)
  • All images must be submitted in 8bit Adobe RGB colorspace

How many entries?

Just remember the number 10. You can have 10 total entries. Within the still photograph categories, each may have a maximum of 10 pictures.

An entry is defined as a collection of unrelated still photographs (singles) with a maximum of 10 pictures or a multiple picture series of related pictures with a maximum of 10 pictures or a multimedia or video link with a maximum of 10 links.

Here are some examples: 10 entries =

  • 8 singles, 6 multiple picture stories, 3 multimedia links. (The 8 singles are just one entry.)
  • 10 video links
  • 7 multiple picture stories, 3 multimedia links

The portfolio entry system will track your entries and stop you from entering more than 10 total entries.

How do I apply?

Accounts will no longer be needed on this website. New accounts will be created on our new server.  

Applications open Nov. 1. Check this page for a forthcoming link to our server.