Nellie Moore Alaska Native Journalism Scholarship opens for applications

Nellie Moore and young journalists. Mentoring young Alaska Native journalists is one of Moore’s proudest legacies. (Photo courtesy Moore’s family)

The Alaska Center for Excellence in Journalism advisory committee is proud to be a part of the creation and funding of the Nellie Moore Alaska Native Journalism Scholarship Fund at the Alaska Community Foundation, which will begin accepting applications on Jan. 15, 2025. The deadline to apply is March 15, 2025. This one-year renewable scholarship is starting its inaugural year in the amount of $1,000.

The scholarship was created by the family of Nellie “Iriqtaq” Moore, a groundbreaking Alaska Native radio and television journalist, editor, station manager and television producer. Family members were joined by the Alaska Native Media Group, which Moore was a founding member of, Alaska Center for Excellence in Journalism advisers, Alaska Press Club, and longtime colleagues and friends to create the scholarship fund and criteria. The Alaska Center for Excellence in Journalism fund has contributed $3,000 to the scholarship’s creation.

Moore’s journalism career began when she was a teenager in Kotzebue, where she started at the local newspaper. But her drive to participate in and share her Iñupiaq culture, and to be a force in the community was evident when she organized a sit-in at Kotzebue High School to allow Native dancing.

Throughout her 44-year journalism career, Nellie worked to inform, empower, and connect others. She used humor and keen observation skills to report the news and hold leaders accountable. Her proudest legacy in journalism, however, was her mentorship of young Alaska Native journalists. This scholarship will continue that dedication to the development of you Alaska Native journalists.

This scholarship is for Alaska Native students who aim to enter the field of journalism, to empower the next generation of Alaska Native journalists to amplify indigenous stories, voices and representation in news media.

Click here to apply for the scholarship.

If you’d like to support this scholarship and its efforts, we are hoping to gain enough funding so that the scholarship can be endowed and continue earning enough to fund scholarships for years to come. Please consider making a contribution through the Alaska Community Foundation here.