Awards & Contests

Announcing the New Marshall Engaged Scholars Program

The Department of Communication is pleased to announce the Marshall Engaged Scholars Program generously funded by Cornell Alum Terry ’76 and Ann ’76 Marshall. This internship program will fully fund a Cornell Communication undergraduate student to work in public media at KNPR in Las Vegas during summer 2026, where the scholar will contribute to the production of local news. Specific responsibilities may include assisting with reporting, editing, production, field recording, digital audio editing, conducting research, pitching ideas, engaging with social media channels, designing and developing embedded graphics for KNPR’s digital platforms, and writing for KNPR’s printed magazine, Desert Companion. At the end of the summer, the scholar will submit an internship completion report for Comm 4960: Communication Internship, reflecting on what they learned in their fieldwork, how it relates to their academic program at Cornell, and how it prepared them for a professional career.

In the fall semester, the scholar will attend the first 10 weeks of Dr. Natalia Andriveskikh’s course, COMM 3050: Advanced Media Writing about Cultural, Social and Environmental Crises. During the final 4 weeks of the semester, the scholar will produce an in-depth and serious broadcast or investigative article (length TBD) suitable for KNPR broadcast or publication in Desert Companion, that is, something well beyond the daily news reporting over the summer. This work must deal with local issues identified during the summer fieldwork in Las Vegas (e.g., immigration and other issues faced by Las Vegas’ many different ethnic communities, healthcare, effects of climate change, housing costs, or, one or more features on some of Las Vegas’ many professional entertainers, athletes, entrepreneurs, or, unique characters) and draw upon both their contacts and experiences in Las Vegas and the vast resources and knowledge at Cornell. (Note that the scholar will attend COMM 3050 but enroll in 3 credits of COMM 4970: Individual Study in Communication with Dr. Andrievskikh.) The scholar is encouraged, but not required, to take a topical class relevant to the final depth investigative broadcast/publication. At the end of the semester, the scholar will submit the final project to Dr. Andrievskikh, KNPR, and the Marshalls. If it is accepted for broadcast or publication, the Marshall fund will award the scholar an additional $1,000.

During the ten-week summer internship, the scholar will work 40 hours per week at KNPR and be paid $19 per hour. Additionally, the scholar will receive a stipend funded by the Marshalls to cover travel to and from Las Vegas, housing, and local transportation while in Las Vegas. The final stipend will be determined in coordination with the Marshalls and the Department of Communication Chair, Professor Lee Humphreys, based on a budget submitted by the scholar.

Student Learning Outcomes:

  1. Sharpen critical thinking, research, and ability to write/produce professional news broadcasts/articles about local issues.
  2. Enhance professional work skills including time management, meeting deadlines, collaboration,
    and ability to take direction.
  3. Reflect on the relationship between journalism, public media, and democracy.
  4. Strengthen their community-engaged experiences with educational content by integrating their Las Vegas fieldwork with information and insights gleaned from Cornell’s faculty and libraries.
  5. Develop a greater understanding of Las Vegas as a city far more complex and varied than its common stereotype as The Strip.

To apply: Students should submit a 1–2 page cover letter, resume, and writing sample. The cover letter should explain why the student would like to work at KNPR in Las Vegas covering issues of the desert southwest. The Department of Communication will review the applications and forward the top applications to KNPR, who will interview candidates and make the final selection. Final decisions will be announced mid-April. Students who are not accepted may reapply the following year. Applications are due March 16, 2026.

Eligibility: Only Cornell Communication first-year students, sophomores, and juniors may apply. Students with interests in journalism and public media who are curious, self-starters and strong writers are particularly encouraged to apply.

Application materials: 

  • 1–2 page cover letter explaining why you would like to work at KNPR in Las Vegas covering issues of the desert southwest
  • resume with GPA noted at the top
  • 1–3 media samples. If you submit multiple samples, they should be of different media, e.g., print, audio, and visual.

Undergraduate Student Awards

Each year, the Department of Communication awards several scholarships to Cornell students. Recipients will receive significant financial prizes and can list this honor on their resumes. Students are permitted to apply to up to two of the below awards per year. Please note that if you have previously won an award, you are ineligible to apply to that same award a second time, even with a different portfolio.

If applying to multiple scholarships, students must submit different personal statements for each application.

Due date for applications for the Department of Communication Spring 2026 Awards: Thursday, February 26, 2026 at 5:00pm.

Applications must be complete when submitted. If a student applies for more than two awards, only their first two applications will be considered. For any questions, please contact Kristie Milliman.

Bernays Award

The Edward L. Bernays Primus Inter Pares Award is given to one or more Department of Communication senior(s)who demonstrates outstanding achievement and participation in the area of Public Relations and who submit a superior essay. Participation in Public Relations can include but not limited to: Public relations internship or volunteer work; Public relations focus; or Public relations office in student group. Edward L. Bernays, ’12 is known as the “Father of Public Relations.” He helped found the Cornell PRSSA Chapter in 1983 and established the Primus Inter Pares Award in 1984 to encourage chapter leadership. Mr. Bernays passed away March 9, 1995 at the age of 103.

Kenneth John Bissett Award

Ken Bissett of Hartsdale, NY, class of ‘90, began his education at Cornell in the School of Engineering. His strong love for creative writing and artistic talent eventually drew him to the Communication Department. Ken’s friends and professors enjoyed his piquant but gentle humor. They remembered him as a brilliant artist and excellent student, someone who cared immensely about the art he created. In the fall of 1988 Ken joined the Syracuse-in-London Program because he felt the opportunity to study abroad would be a new and broadening experience. On December 21, he and 37 other college students returning from London were killed when their plane, Pan Am flight 103, was destroyed in flight by a terrorist bomb over Lockerbie, Scotland.

To apply for the Bissett award you must be a regular or transfer student (at least two semesters in the Department of Communication), be a junior or senior, and must have taken a visual, design, or writing course in the Department of Communication.

Chester Freeman Award

Chester H. Freeman, late Professor Emeritus of the Department of Communication at Cornell University, set standards of excellence, leadership, and commitment to Cornell University that few can surpass. The Freeman Communication Leadership Fund is to be awarded to the Communication junior or juniors who best exhibit the interdisciplinary character of the Department’s program and who best reflect the spirit of Chet Freeman’s contributions to the Communication Department and the Cornell community.

Applicants must be second semester junior Communication majors with a minimum of 2.5 cumulative academic average. Applicants should have proof of demonstrated skills in oral communication, media or research skills, or in media analysis or planning. Applicants should show evidence of leadership, breadth of interest outside the academic major, and evidence of concern for fellow human beings.

Anson H. Rowe Award 

The Anson H. Rowe Endowment Award is divided into two parts. One award will be granted to a senior and another will be granted to a junior. Applicants must be majoring in Communication. 

  • Overall scholastic achievement
  • Demonstrated proficiency and breadth of experience in interpersonal communication, public speaking, and/or radio and television;  
  • Financial need. 

Only for the senior recipient: Awarded to a senior who has applied or has been accepted to a graduate program.

Preference will be given to those planning to specialize in the areas of interpersonal communication, public speaking, radio or television.  

All applications must include the information below:

  1. Completed Application
  2. Resume
  3. Name and email of two references (on campus)
  4. Personal statement highlighting proficiency in interpersonal communication, public speaking, and/or radio and TV (no more than 1000 words). Seniors: your statement should also make note of your future plans regarding graduate or law school.

Schwartz Award

Undergraduate students in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences are invited to submit original manuscripts for the Alfred N. Schwartz Prize competition. The award promotes excellence in agricultural journalism. Open to all CALS students.

Acceptable entries include original manuscripts suitable for publication in a newspaper or magazine. Audio tapes, scripts, or video tapes suitable for broadcast on radio or TV are equally acceptable. Information that is written for posting on a computer network would also receive full consideration. Previously published or broadcast material is welcomed. Please note, academic papers and reports and not accepted.

Sheila Turner Seed Award

The Seed Award for junior women or nonbinary femme-aligned communication majors commemorates Sheila Turner Seed, a dynamic young writer and photo-journalist with Scholastic, Inc., a well-respected and prominent publishing company. Following her untimely death, Ms. Seed’s husband Brian, with the cooperation of Scholastic, Inc., and Cornell established the award as a memorial to her. The nature and amount of the award have varied over the years in line with the available resources.

The committee will base their decision upon the materials requested and upon the applicant's general academic performance as a Cornell student. Particular emphasis will be placed upon academic excellence in courses within the major.

Eastman-Rice Stage Speaking Contest

The Eastman-Rice stage is a speaking contest open to all full-time or part-time undergraduate students enrolled in the College of Agriculture and the Life Sciences. Winners in the preliminary round will compete for cash prizes at the final round.