Study Islam, Religion and Politics, War, Theology—on us!

Contact: Amy Schiska
573-355-5201 ext. 3#
Schiska@RNA.org

Study Islam, Religion and Politics, War, Theology—on us!

Journalists, editors eligible for $5,000 scholarships for college religion courses

(Columbia, Mo.) — RELIGION | NEWSWRITERS invites journalists, regardless of beat, to apply to its Lilly Scholarships in Religion program. The scholarships give full-time journalists up to $5,000 to take college religion and spirituality courses.

With religion in the headlines more than ever, now is the perfect time to dig deeper into today’s hottest religion stories. More than 200 people have already taken advantage of RELIGION | NEWSWRITERS’ Lilly Scholarships in Religion Program for Journalists.

Some of the timely topics reporters have studied include: Islamic Movements, God & Politics, Early Christianity and Western Culture, Religious Tradition and Scientific Inquiry, Buddhism and Science, Violence and Liberation and Religion and Medicine.

"The coursework [Islam and Gender] allowed me to get an insight into Islam-related topics I may never have been able to as a reporter,” said Jaweed Kaleem of The Miami Herald.

The scholarships can be used at any accredited college, university, seminary or similar institution.Journalists can take any course they choose as long as it is in the field of religion. Scholarships cover tuition, books, registration fees, parking and other costs. Online and travel courses are also included (as long as travel costs are a part of the curriculum).

All full-time journalists—including reporters, editors, designers, copy editors, editorial writers, news directors, researchers and producers—are eligible, regardless of whether or not they cover religion.

The next scholarship application deadline is April 1, 2011. Scholarships must be used within three academic quarters of their award date. Only full-time journalists working in the general circulation news media are eligible.

RELIGION | NEWSWRITERS is the world’s only journalism association for people who write about religion in the mainstream news media. The scholarships are offered through its non-profit arm, the Religion Newswriters Foundation, with funding from the Lilly Endowment, Inc.

Complete information about the Lilly Scholarships in Religion program is available at http://www.religionwriters.com/training/lilly-scholarships-in-religion-for-journalists. For questions, contact Amy Schiska at 573-355-5201 ext. 3#, or Schiska@RNA.org.

RELIGION | NEWSWRITERS offers training and tools to help journalists cover religion with balance, accuracy and insight. Visit www.RNA.org to learn more about our RELIGION | LINK story ideas, Religion stylebook and primer, contests for religion reporting, annual conference and more.