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

Why you should apply to become a columnist next year

Keyboard

By Kevin Duvall, Student Columnist, The Daily Athenaeum West Virginia University official student newspaper This will probably be the last column I ever write for The Daily Athenaeum, as I am graduating this summer and am uncertain of where or when I will attend graduate school. Since I’m a Monday regular, I had the last…

Twenty Years of Walley (seems longer)

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of writing a column for the Belleville, Ill. News-Democrat, Wally Spiers interviewed himself  on video for the newspaper’s website.  “Silly, but fun,” he said. *   *   * So… we were wondering… what other great events happened 20 years ago? The first McDonald’s opened in Moscow, Russia Nelson Mandela, a political prisoner…

Column about Columns

Columnist

By  Trisha Blanchet  The Sun,  Lowell, Mass.     Writing a column is a lot like slapping a bumper sticker onto your car. You feel strongly about something, stick it up there for the world to see, and then forget about it. But you never know what that guy behind you is thinking as he drives along.…

Don’t Write for Free

Laura Snyder

By Laura Snyder Nationally Syndicated Columnist         Our new Vice President, Ben Pollock, was the brains and momentum behind our membership poll this winter.  The results that came in from 183 respondents were actually very surprising to the board and served as a wake-up call.  As it turns out, we had been operating on…

The Apple Controversy

Apps & Apple

Apple has become the center of controversy because of its control of the “apps” that are accepted for use on its latest product, the iPad, which is similar to the iPhone by Apple. App is an abbreviation for “application program,” as opposed to a systems program which operates the device itself. Apple has created a…