NSNC to Recognize 2026 Annual Columnist Contest Winners

Join or Renew Your NSNC Membership

Consider a Gift to the NSNC Education Foundation

NSNC to Recognize 2026 Annual Columnist Contest Winners

The National Society of Newspaper Columnists (NSNC) President and Board of Directors are pleased to announce the winners of the 2026 Annual Columnist Contest at an online awards celebration on Thursday, July 23 at 7 p.m. EST. If you would like to join us for the awards ceremony, email nsncdirector@gmail.com for the Zoom link.

Join or Renew Your NSNC Membership

Welcome! Whether you write for newspapers, magazines, newsletters, trade journals or you create a podcast or write digital content, or you manage your own blog … whether you’re on staff, a freelancer, syndicated, self-syndicated or independent, if you write opinion or provide commentary, we invite you to join the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. Join us at https://www.columnists.com/join-or-renew-membership/.

Consider a Gift to the NSNC Education Foundation

The National Society of Newspaper Columnists Education Foundation is a tax-exempt charitable organization [501(c)3] devoted to the education and training of new and experienced columnists everywhere. Donate here: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/NSNCEdFnd

Member gets Honorable Mention in Writing Contest

Wanda Argersinger Wanda Argersinger, NSNC member from Gulf Breeze, Florida, was selected as an Honorable Mention in the Humor – Global category of the 2012 Erma Bombeck writing competition. The contest is sponsored by Washington-Centerville Library in Ohio and the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop.  Wanda’s winning entry, “Goodbye Old Flame” was about changing computer technology…

A Writer’s Meditation

By Suzette Martinez Standring Whether you write op-ed, humor, lifestyle or other columns, heartfelt expression is a goal. Relaxation unlocks creativity, and I use guided imagery exercises in my writing workshops to mine memories for sensory details and emotions.  Self-hypnosis, meditation, guided imagery, and trance are all the same things, and the process is common…

Heisenberg? Not Bad, Heisen You?

By Ben S. Pollock NSNC President With certainty, the renowned physicist Garrison Keillor noted in his radio spot The Writer’s Almanac: “On this date [Feb. 23] in 1927, physicist Werner Heisenberg first described his Uncertainty Principle in a letter. In a nutshell, the Uncertainty Principle states that the more precisely we can determine a particle’s…

Patriotic Duty: Macon in May

"Let's incentivize the columnists with a conference discount," Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner tells the president during a flight to Macon, Ga. (Neither will be there May 4-6).

“Let’s incentivize the columnists by extending the conference discount,” Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner tells the president during a flight to Macon, Ga. (Neither will be there May 4-6). Humor by Ben Pollock See? Everyone agrees. It’s your duty to attend the annual conference of the National Society of Newspaper  Columnists. It’s May 4-6 in Macon,…

Forget Klout. Use your clout.

you, the columnist By Dave Lieber Fort Worth Star-Telegram   Are you familiar with Klout.com? The website says it rates your “online influence” on a scale of 1 to 100 “based on your ability to drive action in social networks. We process this data on a daily basis to give you an updated Klout score…

No president ever let Mark Russell down

Eric Heyl By Eric Heyl, February 25, 2012 Courtesy of Pittsburgh Tribune-Review . Political satirist and comic entertainer Mark Russell is ending his nationally syndicated column that has amused readers for nearly four decades. Russell, 79, also well-known for his long-running PBS specials and stand-up performances, discussed his impending retirement and the current state of…