DURHAM, NC (January 5, 2015) – Applications are now open for the 2015 National Press Photographers Foundation student scholarships. Students’ portfolios compete for $16,000 in scholarships, as eight $2,000 scholarships will be awarded. Applications are open to both graduate and undergraduate students, and all scholarships are open to any applicant.

The Still and Multimedia Scholarship and the TV News Scholarship compliment scholarships that honor the memories of Bob Baxter, Reid Blackburn, Bob East, Kit King and Jimi Lott. Each scholarship is $2,000.

New this year is the Rich Clarkson Founders Scholarship, which will go to a student with demonstrated leadership ability. Students wishing to compete for this scholarship will write an essay about their leadership skills and experiences.

Foundation scholarship chairperson James Brown says that the application is a three-part process that involves creating an account on the NPPF Web site, filling out an application form, and then uploading a portfolio or links to video stories.

The deadline for uploading portfolios is 11:59 p.m. EST on March 2, 2015. The application may be done prior to submitting a portfolio and students are encouraged to complete their applications and faculty recommendations well before the deadline.

Complete information about how to apply and instructions for preparing portfolios is online here.

There is a campaign underway to raise money to increase the scholarship stipends in the coming years, and to create additional scholarships. A new campaign launched recently to support Foundation scholarships through Amazon Smile. Buying through Smile.Amazon.com after selecting NPPF as the beneficiary automatically contributes a small percentage of the purchase to the Foundation (without any extra cost to the purchaser). Amazon then makes the contribution to the Foundation.