ACES Scholarships
Offered by ACES: The Society for Editing (ACES Education Fund)
About This Scholarship
ACES: The Society for Editing — the national professional organization for copy editors, best known for its annual conference and national editing standards — awards six scholarships each year through the ACES Education Fund to students who excel at critical thinking about written material and plan careers that involve editing. Four ACES Scholarship winners receive $1,500 each, the top applicant is named the Aubespin scholar and receives $2,500, and the Bill Walsh Scholarship — named for the late Washington Post copy editor and author — awards $3,500.
The program is unusually open: ACES awards the scholarships without regard to the student's nationality, residence, or field of academic concentration. Applicants must have completed at least one year of higher education and be enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate degree program at the deadline, and they must demonstrate a genuine interest in editing as a career rather than writing generally.
Applications require short essays and the names and contact information of three references who can speak to the applicant's editing skills and career plans. Editing tests or work samples showing attention to language, accuracy, and clarity carry significant weight in selection.
Eligibility
- Completed at least one year of higher education
- Enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate degree program at the application deadline
- Demonstrated interest in editing as a career
- Open to any nationality, residence, or field of study
- Previous winners, ACES board members and administrators, and their families are ineligible
How To Apply
- Apply during the open window (Aug. 15 through Nov. 15) via the application forms linked from the ACES scholarships page. You will submit essays about your editing experience and career plans plus the names, titles, and contact information of three references who can speak to your editing skills.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to be a journalism major?
No. ACES awards its scholarships without regard to field of academic concentration — students in any major qualify as long as they can show a serious interest in an editing career.
What is the Bill Walsh Scholarship?
It is the largest ACES award at $3,500, named in honor of the late Washington Post copy editor and language author Bill Walsh. It has its own application, linked from the same ACES scholarships page.
Can graduate students and international students apply?
Yes. Both undergraduate and graduate students are eligible, and the fund explicitly disregards nationality and residence.