NSNC 2026 Columnist Contest - Now Open

Sunshine Week March 15-21, 2026

Consider a Gift to the NSNC Education Foundation

Join NSNC and Reap the Benefits!

NSNC 2026 Columnist Contest - Now Open

Contest submissions now open! We are accepting entries from columnists, bloggers, and serial essayists  for our 2026 Annual Columnist Contest (for work published in 2025). We will accept entries from columnists, bloggers, and serial essayists published in 2025.  Everyone is welcome to submit. You don’t have to be an NSNC member.

Sunshine Week March 15-21, 2026

We’re counting down to #SunshineWeek 2026, March 15-21. Together, we champion #OpenRecords and #OpenGovernment nationwide March 15-21. #FOIA #transparency. Free resources: sunshineweek.org

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

Join NSNC and Reap the Benefits!

We are excited for What’s in-store for NSNC members this year. We are gearing up to launch the NSNC Annual Columnist Contest on January 15, so you’ll want to be sure your membership is up-to-date. Also, if you have ideas, suggestions, etc., please share them with our President Meredith Cummings at meredithcummings@gmail.com or Executive Director Ginny McCabe at nsncdirector@gmail.com. Thank you for your support of NSNC!

The Dalai Lama’s Bedroom

By Suzette Martinez Standring, Past President, NSNC Only through the NSNC would I find myself in the bedroom of the Dalai Lama. Ducking into his second floor bedroom came toward the end of an afternoon’s visit by NSNC conference attendees to The Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center in southern Indiana. I’m here to report that…

Dr. Debra Herbenick, Kinsey Institute

  On This Soft Anvil By Terry Marotta, NSNC Member Exit Only Blog I was saying yesterday how organizations change when there get to be more women than men in them and at first I thought that’s why my fellow columnists behaved so well when Dr. Debra Herbenick came to speak at our annual conference.…

Hole in the Bottom of the Sea

Political satirist Rick Horowitz leads NSNC members in a bit of fun and frivolity at the Bloomington Conference. You could bet that this was going to show up on YouTube…  Participants: Samantha Bennett, Bonnie Squires, Laura Snyder, Suzette Standring, Stu Bykofsky,  Sheila Stroup, Bill Tammeus, Mike Leonard and song leader, Mike Horowitz. YouTube Video Terry Marotta…

NSNC 2010 Contest Winners

Congratulations! The night arrived and on a summer’s eve in Bloomington the NSNC 2010 contest winners were announced. For those who were not able to attend, myself included, I wanted to personally share the great news with each of you. — Cynthia Borris, 2010 NSNC Contest Chair General Interest Greater than 100,000 Circulation 1st place:…

Mike Leonard Welcome to Bloomington

UPDATE:  See comments on the article and Audio of Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly slamming Mike Leonard and IU researchers at a past conference. As Dave Lieber was overheard saying at the Conference, “How often do we get welcomed to a city on the front page of the local?” Herald-Times, Bloomington, Ind., Mike Leonard column: My…

Awards, Ernie Pyle, and Tibetan Center highlight day

Ernie Pyle was an alumnus of Indiana University.  Columnists heard authorities on Pyle’s work speak on appreciating the work of the famous correspondant.  . . . . . Conference attendees visited the Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center in Bloomington where they ate traditional Tibetan food and met Arjia Rinpoche, Director of the Center and author. .…