Les Payne, a Pulitzer Prize winning reporter, is a columnist for Newsday.  His scholarship is open to any NABJ student member who is currently attending an accredited four-year university and majoring in journalism. DeWayne Wickham is a columnist for USA TODAY and the Gannett News Service. His scholarship will be awarded to a high school senior that has shown strong promise in overcoming personal obstacles and has a strong passion to pursue journalism in college. 

 "These scholarships are just another example of NABJ’s commitment to empowering our student members,” said NABJ President Gregory Lee, Jr. "Les Payne and DeWayne Wickham are trailblazers in the media industry and they want to continue NABJ’s rich legacy of helping aspiring journalists reach their full potential.” 

For more information on the Les Payne and DeWayne Wickham Founders’ scholarships, including eligibility requirements and criteria, please visit NABJ’s scholarships page here.

 An advocacy group established in 1975 in Washington, D.C., NABJ is the largest organization for journalists of color in the nation, and provides career development as well as educational and other support to its members worldwide.