CAJ Journalism Scholarship

As developers of PDF converter, creator and editor solutions, we know what an important role data has to play in our everyday lives and especially in the news. Now more than ever, factual data analysis is crucial to the integrity of investigative reporting, and learning to do so accurately is essential. That's why we're getting involved right where it matters most when it comes to the future of the journalism industry - the students.

Our aim for this scholarship is to support and encourage journalism students by helping them with the costs of their education, which can often be a hindrance to their career. Not only that, but we intend for this scholarship to serve as a way to help prepare students for a career path as a journalist by getting them to think about the industry and its ever increasing emphasis on data.

That said, this scholarship will go to one Canadian student who shows insight and good understanding of the journalism industry before they even enter the newsroom professionally. We want to get Canadian and journalism students, like you, to really think about the data you use in your stories.

To ensure this scholarship falls in line with professional and journalistic guidelines, we've partnered with the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ). The CAJ is a notable journalism organization that provides Canadian journalists with support, mentorship, community, and resources across the country.

Eligibility

The Investintech - CAJ Data Journalism Scholarship is open to students who show an interest in data journalism. Eligible students must meet the following requirements:

A) Majoring in a journalism program, working towards either a Bachelor's or Master's degree.

B) MCurrently accepted to or enrolled in a college or university in Canada.

C) MPursuing a course of studies leading to an undergraduate or graduate degree in journalism.

D) MNon-journalism program students may apply, but will need to show evidence of their journalism skills and interest, such as having a published news story, or be working for a college publication, etc.

Submission and Application Details

Submitted work may be a published item, class assignment or even an item on a personal blog.

A) MWork must have been produced within one calendar year of the scholarship closing date.

B) MIndividual work is preferred. If the submitted item is produced as part of a team of two or more, the applicant must submit their own proof of work.

C) MPrevious winners are not eligible to apply.

The submission must include:

A) MAn example of a work of journalism that shows the application of data skills (e.g. use of spreadsheets, web scraping, use of mapping tool).

B) MAn explanation of what you did and how you did it, including the resources you used. For submissions that were part of a group project, applicants must explain their role, the skills they used in fulfilling that role, and the specific parts of the story, or stories, that their contribution influenced.

C) MAn idea for a project you would like to work on, particularly if you had more data journalism skills. Include a link to a dataset that shows why the story is worth pursuing, and a link to a story you aspire to create or one that inspires you as a journalist.

D) MA letter of support from an instructor or editor.