ABOUT THE WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS' ASSOCIATION
The WHCA represents the White House press corps in its dealings with the administration on coverage-related issues.
A nine-member board of directors, elected by correspondents, addresses access to the chief executive; coverage arrangements; work space arrangements; logistics and costs for press travel to accompany a president on the road. Information about our OFFICERS and BOARD MEMBERS is available on our site.
The association also holds an ANNUAL DINNER to raise money for WHCA SCHOLARSHIPS and honor the professional recipients of the WHCA's JOURNALISM AWARDS. This year's dinner is scheduled for May 1, 2010.
SCHOLARSHIPS for promising journalism students play an important part in the associations' mission. Read about the talented recipients who were honored and learn about our expanded scholarship program.
We are proud to sponsor several prestigious professional journalism AWARDS that highlight our colleagues' significant accomplishments in the field. A CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS goes out in January, and awards are presented in the spring at the annual dinner. Read about the 2009 AWARD RECIPIENTS, and re-visit some of their winning entries. The 2010 entry deadline is March 4.
Learn about the HISTORY of the WHCA. Over the years, many of our association's activities have been documented by C-SPAN, which is hosting a video archive of the White House Correspondents' Association dinners and related historical footage.
To qualify for regular MEMBERSHIP, a correspondent must be employed on the editorial staff of a newspaper, magazine, wire service, radio, TV, cable TV, or other broadcast organization or news gathering organization that regularly reports on the White House. His or her principal journalistic assignments must involve White House coverage with such activities as attending briefings or participating in the in-town pool rotation.The applicant must have permanent White House press credentials. There is also a non-voting associate membership. Read the WHCA BY-LAWS to determine your eligibility. If you are interested in joining, download a MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION. If you are already a member, visit the membership page for additional information about MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS.
We are posting links to some representative NEWS BLOGS produced by our members, to help keep you up-to-date on the most pressing issues of the day.
We're usually the ones asking questions, but you may have a few for us. If so, please CONTACT THE WHCA. We'd enjoy hearing from you.
photo/Doug Mills, New York Times
JOURNALISM AWARDS
The WHCA presents three major awards at the annual White House Correspondents' Dinner. Submissions for this year's awards are due on March 4, 2010. This year's recipients will be honored at the May 1 dinner.
In 2009, the winners of the Merriman Smith Award for presidential coverage under deadline pressure were Sandra Sobieraj Westfall of People magazine for her election night reporting and David Greene of National Public Radio for his coverage of President Obama's historic speech at a critical juncture of the presidential campaign.
Michael Abramowitz, formerly of the Washington Post, was awarded the Aldo Beckman award for sustained excellence in White House coverage.
Michael J. Berens and Ken Armstrong of the Seattle Times was honored with the Edgar A. Poe Award for excellence in coverage of news of national or regional significance.
The judges of the Poe award also gave honorable mention to Gary Fields and Jonathan Kaufman of the Wall Street Journal for their insightful stories on race and violence in America, and African-Americans attitudes' toward the 2008 presidential campaign.
Honorable mention was also offered to reporters from two different publications for similar work on the threat to U.S. security and infrastructure from Chinese computer hackers who penetrated military Websites and possibly the American electrical grid: Shane Harris of National Journal as well as Brian Grow, Keith Epstein, Chi-Chu Tschang, Cliff Edwards, Brian Bursed, and Ben Elgin of Business Week.
READ MORE about these projects and download the award-winning articles and transcripts.(PDF)
President Barack Obama speaks at a press conference in the White House on June 24, 2009. Official White House Photo/ Chuck Kennedy
2009 WHCA DINNER
Read complete WHCA DINNER coverage and a summary of the 2009 JOURNALISM AWARDS and SCHOLARSHIPS, or visit the 2009 SLIDESHOW page for a candid look at the event. You also can READ THE TRANSCRIPT of President Obama's speech at the WHCA Dinner, or WATCH THE VIDEO ON C-SPAN.ORG.
 Photo/ Brendan Smialowski
WHCA SCHOLARSHIPS
The White House Correspondents' Association supports several scholarships aimed at encouraging a new generation of reporters. It is for this that we host the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner, which draws luminaries from politics, business, media, Hollywood and elsewhere to help the White House press corps raise money to give crucial financial assistance to journalism students at several institutions across the country. The 2009 recipients were Howard University students Curtis McCloud, Melissa Noel, and Erica Robinson; University of Missouri students Ferdous Al-Faruque, Liz Langton, Fan Bu, Mu Li, Jessica Nunez, Hui Wang, and Yang Wang; Columbia University's Lina Al-Ejeilat; and Walter Morris, a student at the Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University. READ MORE
WHCA NEWS
(Jan. 22, 2010) -- Seventeen Washington, D.C. students will receive $132,000 in college scholarships from the White House Correspondents' Association to pursue careers in journalism.
The winners will be introduced at the association's May 1 fundraising dinner, where entertainer Jay Leno will be a featured speaker.
And for the first time in its 96-year history, the association is taking action to reduce the carbon impact of its annual black-tie gala; these actions include using as much as possible renewable energy for the event, paper products, supplies and services that reduce the threat of global warming, deforestation, toxic wastes, hazardous chemicals and species extinction. READ PRESS RELEASE
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President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama walk down Pennsylvania Avenue en route to the White House, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009. Photo/Doug Mills, New York Times
2010 CALL FOR ENTRIES - DUE MARCH 4
Applications for the 2010 journalism awards are due on March 4, 2010. Entry forms and updated requirements have been posted on the AWARDS page. These awards are for work done in 2009. Download PDF entry forms and be sure to read the requirements carefully. Award recipients will be honored at the annual WHCA dinner in the Spring.
Seventeen Washington, D.C. students will receive $132,000 in college scholarships from the White House Correspondents' Association to pursue careers in journalism.
The winners will be introduced at the association's May 1 fundraising dinner, where entertainer Jay Leno will be a featured speaker.
And for the first time in its 96-year history, the association is taking action to reduce the carbon impact of its annual black-tie gala; these actions include using as much as possible renewable energy for the event, paper products, supplies and services that reduce the threat of global warming, deforestation, toxic wastes, hazardous chemicals and species extinction.
Only WHCA members and their organizations are eligible to request tickets for the annual dinner. Please visit the MEMBERSHIP PAGE of our site to review eligibility requirements.
Watch a FLASH SLIDESHOW with over 200 images of the WHCA reception and dinner.
2009 WHCA DINNER REPORT
TRANSCRIPT OF THE PRESIDENT'S REMARKS
WATCH THE DINNER ON C-SPAN.ORG
The Merriman Smith Award for presidential coverage under deadline pressure, the Aldo Beckman award for sustained excellence in White House coverage, and the Edgar A. Poe Award for excellence in coverage of news of national or regional significance.
2009 JOURNALISM AWARDS
READ THE WINNING ENTRIES
Read about WHCA scholarships and learn more about the 2009 SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS.
The 2008 WHCA DINNER took place on April 26 at the Washington Hilton hotel. Visit the 2008 WHCA DINNER PAGE for coverage of the event. C-SPAN televised the event and has posted STREAMING VIDEO OF THE WHCA DINNER on their web site.
WATCH A FLASH SLIDESHOW of the 2008 reception and awards dinner. Flash and a java-enabled web browser are required to view the show.
A FLASH SLIDESHOW of the 2007 reception and dinner remains online
A number of videos featuring past dinners dating back to the early '90s, including Presidential remarks, awards and scholarship presentations, interesting historical footage, and political humor are available on C-SPAN.ORG.
2008 SCHOLARSHIPS | 2007 SCHOLARSHIPS
THE SCHOLARSHIP ARCHIVE contains information about earlier recipients and links to additional information about these awards.
Visit the AWARDS PAGE sidebar for quick links to prior coverage of journalism awards, winning entries, and press releases dating back to 2000.
For recent White House news, read our MEMBERS' BLOGS.
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