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

Dealing with Hateful Readers

Dave Lieber

By Dave Lieber Fort Worth Star-Telegram Columnist www.yankeecowboy.com      My first journalistic mentor was noted writer H.G. “Buzz” Bissinger. While in high school, I read his columns in the University of Pennsylvania student newspaper and decided I wanted to be like him. I enrolled at Penn, and in my first week as a freshman…

Meet Your New President – Samantha Bennett

Samantha Bennett

Samantha Bennett Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Hello, NSNC. I’m Samantha Bennett, and I write a weekly humor column for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Having been your membership chair and vice president, I’m now your president for the next two years. I ran on the strength of my cartwheeling prowess — but let me tell you a little more…

A moment of silence amid loss

Smiley Anders The Advocate, Baton Rouge  It takes a lot to shut up a bunch of columnists. These are people used to expressing their opinions forcefully – and often. On Saturday I was in a bus full of them, and they were finally at a loss for words. At the 32nd annual conference of the…

Prez Column – Mike Argento

Mike Argento

                                                    I was going to write about our upcoming conference in New Orleans, or how I’ve spent the week doing stuff like recording podcasts and scripting Web videos and producing parody ads.  But I can’t.   Not right now.  My friend Jim Hubley died. He had been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor just a few days…

We, Columnists, Are Here To Stay

Dave Lieber

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Advice to a young writer

By Terry Marotta Columnist, The Citizen of Laconia (N.H.) Last Tuesday a seventh grader named Danielle wrote to the National Society of Newspaper Columnists with some questions about our work. She needed the answers by Friday and was sorry this was so last-minute, but she did hope someone could help her. As a proud member…