Six scholarships are awarded annually through the ACES Education Fund.
One is the Bill Walsh scholarship, in honor of the late editor, author, and ACES guiding spirit. The winner receives $3,500 plus financial aid to attend the ACES national conference.
The other five ACES scholarships have a new and broader scope this year. They will be awarded to students who excel in critical thinking about written materials in any field. Four of the winners will each receive $1,500 and $2,500 will go to the student chosen as the Aubespin scholar. All five winners also are eligible for aid to attend the ACES conference.
The generosity of donors enables all of these awards.
The scholarship program is administered (but not judged) by two members of the ACES Education Fund Board, Lisa McLendon and Alex Cruden. Judging of the applications is done by two separate panels of five people each. The selection of winners is a two-step process. In December, the judges choose the finalists, who then take a timed editing test in early January. Test results are then added to the applicants’ portfolios, and a re-judging decides the winners.
Applicants must be seeking degrees as enrolled college/university juniors, seniors, or graduate students during the summer and/or fall term in 2021. Scholarships are awarded without regard to the student’s major or field of academic concentration. Previous scholarship winners are not eligible.
The Bill Walsh Scholarship is awarded to an applicant who demonstrates the kind of talent and passion for the editing of newswriting that he devoted his professional life to. Please go to Apply for the Walsh award to see the specifics.
For the other five ACES scholarships, we’re looking for critical thinkers who have a passion for making writing clear and engaging. Please go to Apply for an ACES scholarship to see the specifics.
You can apply in both scholarship categories, but can win only one.
Applications are made by email, with a deadline of Nov. 15. All entry materials must be in English.
Since 1999, the ACES Education Fund, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and its predecessor have awarded more than 100 scholarships to deserving students who have a passion for editing.
The Walsh scholarship honors Bill Walsh, author, blogger, and longtime copy editor at the Washington Post. Walsh, who died in early 2017, was an active and creative member of the ACES Education Fund board.
The Aubespin scholarship honors Merv Aubespin, a former president of the National Association of Black Journalists who, as the chairman of the Human Resources Committee of the American Society of News Editors in the mid-1990s, greatly helped inspire the creation of ACES.
Nov. 15, 2021
See the list of all of the ACES scholarship winners since 1999.
Meet the volunteers who run the ACES Education Fund.