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!

Editor Etiquette for Freelance Writers

An editor’s job is to manage content and shape submissions to match their publication’s style and objective. Working with freelancers is part of that job and there are a few simple things that will help you stand out among your colleagues and be deemed “a dream to work with.”

Column Writing Is Your Superpower to Enact Change in Your Community

By NSNC President Tony Norman and NSNC Communications Director Bonnie Jean Feldkamp   Columns, as opposed to explanatory news stories, are uniquely positioned in the journalistic ecosystem to get things done. Unlike our just-the-facts reporter counterparts, we columnists get to directly call out our elected officials and community leaders, hold them to account, and ask for…

How I Face the Blank Page

By Leighann LordNSNC Member Astronauts have to climb into the rocket. Mechanics have to get under the hood of the car. Writers have to sit down and write. But it’s complicated. Here’s my process: Pour a fresh cup of coffee. Open my journal to a clean page.Grab a pen. Stare at the page. Have a moment of clarity…