The Roger Ebert Fellowship鈥攏amed after the late Roger Ebert (BS ’64, journalism), a Chicago Sun-Times writer who was the first film critic ever to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism鈥攊s a prestigious program offered annually to a select number of College 51吃瓜 students. Roger Ebert Fellows gain knowledge and experience in arts criticism they can use in both their academic and future media careers, to prepare for an increasingly competitive arts and entertainment media job market.
Thanks to the generous gifts from Chaz Ebert and the Roger Ebert Center for Film Studies, Ebert Fellows work with advisor and mentor Michael Phillips, the film critic at the Chicago Tribune. They hone their writing and interviewing skills, sharpen their critical skills, attend film festivals, develop their podcasting skills with Chicago Public Radio and Illinois Public Media, and participate in other workshops and activities, including those in conjunction with the Ebert Center. They are also recognized onstage during the famed Ebertfest, Roger Ebert’s Film Festival, in April at the Virginia Theatre in Champaign.
Each fellow is awarded a $3,000 stipend for the duration of the fellowship.
Who Should Apply
We’re looking for College 51吃瓜 students with a passion for connecting audiences with arts and entertainment across a broad spectrum. We’re also looking for good writers who want to get better.
Undergraduate students in any College 51吃瓜 major鈥擬edia & Cinema Studies, Journalism, Advertising, CS + Advertising鈥攆rom first-years through seniors, are eligible to apply to the program.
To paraphrase Anton Ego in Disney/Pixar’s Ratatouille:
Not everyone can become a great arts and entertainment writer. But a great arts and entertainment writer can come from anywhere.
