From Vox Populi
In Summary:
VoxPopuli has launched its inaugural Journalism Scholarship to encourage aspiring reporters in West Orange County to pursue careers in journalism. The $500 award will be given to a graduating public high-school senior with experience in student media or independent reporting who plans to study journalism in college. Applications are due March 20, with the winner selected by VoxPopuli staff and board members and announced in April.
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VoxPopuli, the digital news site that covers local government and politics for West Orange County, announced the launch of its Journalism Scholarship for 2026. The inaugural $500 scholarship will be awarded to a graduating public high-school senior who has worked on their school newspaper, magazine, TV or radio station, or has done independent reporting for their own website or blog, and who is interested in continuing their study of journalism in college.
Related: Wekiva High School students shine at statewide ProStart competition, part of $2.1 million scholarship celebration.
Students are asked to fill out an application on VoxPopuli’s website and submit a four-minute video detailing their journalism background and future goals.
Applications are due by March 20 and will be reviewed by VoxPopuli staff and board. A decision will be announced in April. One student will receive the $500 award to be used to further their journalism studies at their school of choice.
At VoxPopuli, we believe that diversity brings strength and more in-depth reporting. Members of underrepresented communities are encouraged to apply for this scholarship.
“This scholarship reflects a need to recruit and cultivate the next generation of reporters even as the field of journalism is changing around us,” said Norine Dworkin, VoxPopuli’s editor in chief. “Legacy media outlets are downsizing or closing altogether. We are watching once-storied media giants put corporate profits ahead of journalistic integrity while new independent media outlets, newsletters, and podcasts are springing up faster than we can count them.
“But regardless of the format, rigorous journalistic principles, like fact-checking and objectivity, must prevail so that the media can earn back some of the reader/viewer trust that’s been lost. Good training remains essential. At VoxPopuli, our reporters were taught, coached, and shepherded by older, more experienced journalists. Now we help pay it forward, starting with this scholarship.”
“Quality journalism begins with quality education,” said Allie L. Braswell, Jr., a VoxPopuli board member. “By investing in students — especially those from underrepresented communities — we are cultivating the next generation of principled, prepared truth tellers our communities need.”
About VoxPopuli
Begun in 2021, VoxPopuli is an award-winning news site that covers local government and politics for West Orange County with a focus on Winter Garden, Ocoee, Windermere, and Oakland, and the state and county issues that affect those communities.
Key Points:
- VoxPopuli has launched its first Journalism Scholarship for graduating public high-school seniors.
- The scholarship will award $500 to a student pursuing journalism studies in college.
- Applicants must submit an application and a four-minute video describing their journalism experience and goals.
- Applications are due March 20, with the recipient announced in April.
- Students from underrepresented communities are encouraged to apply.
- VoxPopuli was founded in 2021 and covers local government and politics in West Orange County.
