Student Awards & Contests

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 2024 Awards: Monday, April 1 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 hec58 [at] cornell.edu (subject: Spring%20Awards) (A)ac2396 [at] cornell.edu (subject: Spring%20Awards) (shlee Cherry).

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.

 

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.

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.

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.

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.