WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA) announced a call for entries for the Leroy F. Aarons scholarship and the Kay Longcope scholarship. These scholarships are awarded annually in honor of two prominent journalists. Applications are available online and will be accepted until Jan. 31, 2010.
The Leroy F. Aarons scholarship was established in 2005 to honor NLGJA founder Leroy “Roy” Aarons and to continue his work of fostering fair and accurate coverage of LGBT issues from within the news industry. This annual scholarship will provide up to $5,000 to an LGBT student who plans a career in journalism and is committed to furthering NLGJA’s mission of fair and accurate coverage of the LGBT community.
The Kay Longcope Scholarship was established in 2008 in memory of journalist Kay Longcope, who co-founded the Texas Triangle, an LGBT weekly newspaper that would eventually grow to become the major source for all things gay in Texas, covering the gamut from news to art, relationships to music reviews. Longcope is also widely regarded as the first out reporter at the Boston Globe, where she worked for over 20 years.
NLGJA is an organization of journalists, media professionals, educators and students who work within the news industry to foster fair and accurate coverage of LGBT issues. NLGJA partnered with The Philadelphia Foundation (TPF), a community foundation established in 1918, to administer the NLGJA Student Scholarship Fund. The Delaware Valley Legacy Fund, a component fund of TPF serving to advance philanthropy within the LGBT communities, will disburse the scholarship awards upon receiving recommendations from NLGJA during each award period.
“During a tough economy, it is more important than ever to support our industry’s future leaders,” said David Steinberg, NLGJA president. “These scholarships are offered to help journalism students of today become the industry leaders of tomorrow while using their skills and talents to cover LGBT issues in a fair, balanced manner.”
For more information, applications and guidelines, visit nlgja.org.
