NSNC 2026 Columnist Contest - Deadline Extended to May 1

Consider a Gift to the NSNC Education Foundation

NSNC 2026 Columnist Contest - Deadline Extended to May 1

Contest submissions will be accepted through May 1! 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.

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

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…

An Inspiring NSNC Webinar Is In the Books

By Tony NormanNSNC President My first NSNC webinar will probably rank as my favorite virtual interview of the pandemic age for quite a while. Last month, I had the pleasure of interviewing Pamela Paul, editor of The New York Times Sunday Book Review and grand Poobah of all its book coverage throughout the week. The weekly podcast she…

George Will Presented With the Ernie Pyle Lifetime Achievement Award

George Will Presented With the Ernie Pyle Lifetime Achievement Award Legendary conservative columnist George Will received the 2020 Ernie Pyle Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Society of Newspaper Columnists during an online ceremony December 3. Mr. Will’s acceptance speech touched on the importance of being honored with an award bearing the memory and legacy…

George Will: Questions and Answers

By Steve AustNSNC Executive Director As the writer of thousands of columns, the author of 19 books, and a frequent TV presence, George Will looms as one of the nation’s leading conservative commentators. His erudite perspectives provide thoughtful insights on an array of economic and social issues – and, regarding his other overarching passion, baseball.…

How One Guided-Imagery Session Saved My Book

By Lisa Smith MolinariStars and Stripes columnist, author of The Meat and Potatoes of Life: My True Lit Com (2020), and former NSNC President I arrived at Suzette’s summer house in Cape Cod believing that I was there to sample her famous gourmet cuisine and chat. The fact that she was leading a guided-imagery session…