Posted: January 17, 2020

Open to juniors and seniors for the 2020-2021 academic year, the Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association (POWA) is offering $1,000 scholarships to full-time students.

This money is available from the Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association – Willard T. Johns Memorial Scholarship Fund. The fund is named for Will Johns, a charter member and Past President of POWA, a professional organization of writers, photographers, artists, broadcasters and bloggers dedicated to informing Pennsylvanians about the wise use and management of natural resources and outdoor recreation. Johns, a college-trained wildlife conservationist, served as editor of Pennsylvania Game News and then as an education specialist for the National Wildlife Federation before assuming his post with the Pennsylvania Fish Commission in 1968.

Consideration for these scholarships is given to students who show strong evidence of academic achievement and need for financial aid. Preference is given to those enrolled in one of the following programs at Penn State University:

  • Forest Resources Program within the College of Agricultural Sciences
  • Writing Option within the English Department of the School of Liberal Arts
  • School of Communication's Journalism Program
  • College of Agricultural Sciences per se

The recipient must be planning a career that combines public relations and journalistic skills with an intention to apply these skills to the communication of the principles of conservation and the attractions of the out-of-doors.

Scholarship applications are available on the POWA website, www.paoutdoorwriters.com or from POWA Executive Director Paula Piatt, P.O. Box 885, Sayre, PA 18840, via email at ppiatt@paoutdoorwriters.com

The deadline to file the application for screening for the 2020 award is April 1, 2020.