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Attention college journalists: The Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists (MNSPJ) is now accepting applications for its 2021 student scholarship. This year, MNSPJ will award one $2,500 scholarship to a student pursuing a career in broadcast, print, online or visual journalism. A second winner will receive $1,000.

Applicants must either be enrolled in a post-secondary institution in Minnesota or have graduated from a high school in Minnesota and be enrolled in college elsewhere. Preference will be given to Society of Professional Journalists members.

Click here to submit an application form –- the first step. Email the additional application materials to minnesota.spj@gmail.com. Here’s what’s required:

Application form, which can be found here 

Resume

College transcript (unofficial transcript is fine)

Letter of recommendation

Essay (limited to 500 words): Why have you chosen journalism as a career?

Up to six samples of work via a link to your portfolio, a PDF of clips or story URLs

Applications must be received by 8 p.m. on April 26, 2021. No late submissions will be accepted. The scholarship winners will be announced prior to MNSPJ’s annual Page One Awards banquet, where recipients will receive their awards.

Questions? Email minnesota.spj@gmail.com.

The Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists (MNSPJ) and the Minnesota chapter of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) decry in the strongest possible terms the violent targeting and detention of journalists by law enforcement authorities during ongoing protests in Brooklyn Center.

On behalf of news organizations, attorney Leita Walker submitted a letter this evening to Gov. Tim Walz and public safety officials that details mistreatment of journalists over several nights. We support her call for law enforcement to “act reasonably and in a manner consistent with the U.S. Constitution and judicial orders.”  And we encourage anyone concerned about journalism in Minnesota to read Walker’s letter.

A free press is vital to democracy, and ordering the press to leave the area, detaining reporters on their stomachs and photographing their faces, credentials and I.D.s is tantamount to intimidation. A federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order against the use of so-called “less-lethal” weapons on journalists, some of whom have already suffered serious injury requiring surgery. We call upon Walz, State Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington and leaders of the Minnesota National Guard, Minnesota State Patrol, Brooklyn Center Police and other authorities to read and respect both the letter and spirit of the federal order.

Let us do our jobs.

MNSPJ is re-opening this year’s Page One Awards to entries until Monday, March 8, at 6 p.m. 

This is unusual for our contest, but the board of directors decided re-opening fits with these unusual times for journalists in Minnesota.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve received a number of inquiries from people who wanted to enter the contest, but missed the deadline.  Since we believe there are others who intended to enter, but didn’t contact us directly, we’ve decided to give everyone a second chance starting Friday, March 5. 

The goal of the Page One Awards is to recognize the best journalism produced in Minnesota during 2020, which was an extraordinary year for our community.  To reach that target, we want to allow for as much participation in the contest as possible.

Follow these links for the contest entry form, rules and category descriptions.

Good luck!

MNSPJ has decided to make one last — super final — deadline extension for the 2021 Page One Awards.

Entries for this year’s contest  can be submitted until 12 noon on Monday, Feb. 22. You can find the entry form here.  Click these links for information on categories and rules.  

Good luck!

MNSPJ is making one more extension to the deadline for submissions to the annual Page One Awards, with submissions now due by Friday, Feb. 19. The price of a contest entry is $22.

Journalists working for all print, broadcast and online news outlets in Minnesota (or news outlets in neighboring states that cover Minnesota) are eligible to enter. All work published or broadcast during the 2020 calendar year is eligible. Entries must be submitted by Friday, Feb. 19. 

The format for the awards ceremony will be announced later.

Important Links:

• Online Contest Submission Form
• Complete Listing of Contest Rules and Guidelines
• Complete Listing of Contest Categories and Descriptions

Please contact MNSPJ with any questions: minnesota.spj@gmail.com

Attention college journalists: The Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists (MNSPJ) is now accepting applications for its 2021 student scholarship. This year, MNSPJ will award one $2,500 scholarship to a student pursuing a career in broadcast, print, online or visual journalism. A second winner will receive $1,000.

Applicants must either be enrolled in a post-secondary institution in Minnesota or have graduated from a high school in Minnesota and be enrolled in college elsewhere. Preference will be given to Society of Professional Journalists members.

Click here to submit an application form –- the first step. Email the additional application materials to minnesota.spj@gmail.com. Here’s what’s required:

Application form, which can be found here 

Resume

College transcript (unofficial transcript is fine)

Letter of recommendation

Essay (limited to 500 words): Why have you chosen journalism as a career?

Up to six samples of work via a link to your portfolio, a PDF of clips or story URLs

Applications must be received by 8 p.m. on April 26, 2021 April 12, 2021. No late submissions will be accepted. The scholarship winners will be announced prior to MNSPJ’s annual Page One Awards banquet, where recipients will receive their awards.

Questions? Email minnesota.spj@gmail.com.