Winston Law’s long service in Florida has made the team intimately familiar with the ways stigma can impede the pursuit of justice. In light of that experience, the team wants to put another tool in the hands of those parties looking to continue weeding stigma out of the processes meant to defend the innocent from harm.
The End to Stigma Within the Justice System Scholarship offers $2,500 to a student who thinks critically about how stigma impacts the pursuit of justice. Winston Law intends to use this scholarship to encourage the next generation to think critically about the ways they and their peers can work to reduce the stigma that parties pursuing justice face in court.
Eligibility Requirements
Winston Law encourages undergraduate and graduate students looking to continue their education to apply for the End to Stigma Within the Justice System Scholarship. All students applying for the scholarship should be prepared to prove that they meet the following criteria:
- You are in good academic standing
- You are enrolled in or accepted at an accredited college, university, or graduate school in the United States
- You agree to the scholarship terms and conditions
- Submit the necessary application materials
How Do I Apply?
Thank you for your interest in the End to Stigma Within the Justice System Scholarship! Once you’ve finished your video essay and double-checked your citations, make sure that you:
- Fill out the application form on this page
- Add the URL link to your video essay either Unlisted or Public (so that a shareable link is available)
Scholarship Video Topic
Winston Law wants students to craft an original video essay describing the impact stigma has had on the justice system. This video can elaborate on the ways stigma has impeded justice on a broader level or how the applying student has experienced stigma themselves.
Students should create a 1-2 minute video in length. We advise applicants to use engaging visuals and relatable content. They must ensure the data is accurate, up-to-date, and aligned with relevant laws and regulations.
Students should take care to cite their work and bring forward notable examples of stigma either in their personal lives or as it’s been exhibited in the justice system.
For the videos to be considered eligible students are required to:
- Record their videos in well-lit areas while holding their recording device of choice as still as possible.
- Mention their full name and the name of the scholarship they are applying for either at the beginning or at the end of their video and give credits as necessary.
- Specify any sources of information and the media editing tools used in crafting and creating their videos in the description of the video.
- Use only copyright-free content, and come up with a creative, catchy title that reflects their ideas.
Students are free to use media editing tools, like Adobe Creative Cloud, to include images, stock shots, effects, or clean cuts in their content, but they are not compulsory. Winston Law intends to award this scholarship based on the quality of the speech and not a student’s demonstrable video editing skills. Therefore, students should take time and care crafting the written speech before sitting down to record it.
Any usage of AI platforms to automatically generate videos, and the use of fake actors is strictly prohibited and will lead to automatic disqualification.
Once finished, students should submit the video to their unlisted YouTube account and add the video link to their application form.
Scholarship Deadline
Students have until September 15, 2025, to complete their End to Stigma Within the Justice System Scholarship video essays and submit them to Winston Law. Unfortunately, Winston Law cannot consider applications submitted after this deadline.
Once this scholarship application closes, Winston Law’s team reserves up to three months to consider its applications. Once we reach a decision, we will contact the scholarship winner and discuss how we can provide the scholarship’s $2,500 award to the winner’s academic institution.
Unfortunately, Winston Law cannot discuss the details of the End to Stigma Within the Justice System Scholarship with students at this time. Please do not contact the firm over the phone, through our contact form, or through other means with questions about this scholarship. We will contact you if the firm needs more information after you’ve applied.
Terms and Conditions
All applicants to this scholarship must meet the eligibility requirements as laid out on the scholarship application page, including:
- Applicant must be enrolled at a college, university, or graduate school
- Applicant must be at least 18 years old at the age of enrollment
- Applicant must have residency in the United States
- Applicant must be in good academic standing
- Applicant must submit some personal information, including name, contact information, and academic information.
- Applicant must author an original video essay on the scholarship topic provided.
Anyone who meets the following conditions is NOT eligible to apply:
- Employees or children of employees of Winston Law
- Past recipients of the End to Stigma Within the Justice System Scholarship
- Applicants who are unable/unwilling to be interviewed by a representative of Winston Law if they were to be awarded a scholarship.
- Applicants who submit the same video essay for multiple scholarships or for multiple years in a row
Selection & Award Notification Process
Winston Law will watch and evaluate all the scholarship video essays submitted within the aforementioned deadline. The firm cannot consider applications submitted after September 15, 2025. Once the scholarship closes, the firm will establish its scholarship selection committee.
Age, race, religion, gender, national origin, familial status, or other protected classes will have no influence on the committee’s decision.
Winston Law will not inform non-winners of their scholarship application status. Only the winner will be notified when the scholarship committee comes to its conclusion. This notification will come via email. Upon the winner’s acceptance of the firm’s financial assistance, the firm will share an announcement on its website.
The firm will also release information about the scholarship winner via press release.
Privacy Statement
Your personal information will not be given, sold, or distributed to third parties.
We reserve the right to use the winners’ names and photos in any announcement or communication related to the Scholarships, on Winston Law’s website, in marketing materials, or social media posts.
By submitting your application, you agree to our public use of your name and image.
Previous Winners
Winston Law is proud to announce the winner of the first edition of our End to Stigma Within the Justice System Scholarship, Blake Krawl. Further information can be consulted by accessing the blog post enlisted below. Future winners’ announcement blog posts will appear here.
- 2023 Winner: Blake Krawl
- 2024 Winner: KC Hines-Smith
