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.
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
By Cathy Turney October is National Self-Promotion Month (really!), and there is no less expensive, faster, and easier way for journalists and bloggers to promote themselves and get their writing before thousands of eyeballs than Twitter. “My Twitter followers have helped me grab the attention of powerful influencers, got one of my stories 30,000 reads…
By Lisa Smith Molinari NSNC President Sometimes, we writers take ourselves too seriously. Many have implied that they wouldn’t exist without their craft, claiming, “I write; therefore, I am.” However, a more realistic statement for columnists today might be, “I write; therefore, I have a day job to pay the bills.” Perhaps a more apropos…
This is the 23rd in a series of articles about winners of the NSNC’s annual Ernie Pyle Lifetime Achievement Award. By Dave Astor NSNC Archivist Judith “Miss Manners” Martin received the 2015 Ernie Pyle Lifetime Achievement Award at our conference in Indianapolis, but I didn’t take notes during her acceptance speech. Bad manners by me?…
The National Society of Newspaper Columnists is pleased to announce we are now accepting article submissions from NSNC members for our monthly newsletter and website. If you’re not a member, become one. Read the full guidelines and see what themes we’d like to highlight in our Editorial Calendar. We feel strongly that writers should be compensated…
By Bonnie Jean Feldkamp Communications Director Many of us are freelancing these days — which means we’re looking for leads, reading submission guidelines, and pitching stories to new publications on a regular basis. Ideally, every publication would have clear writer’s guidelines that include the managing editor’s name, contact, columns accepting submissions, and desired word count. However,…
By Lisa Smith Molinari NSNC President This time of year always reminds me of my mother coming into my room on the first day back to school, ruffling the tangled hair on my sleeping head, and singing her own version of mess call, “Soupy, soupy, soupy, cornbread, and beans!” It was the undeniable signal that…
Save the Date NSNC 2026 Columnist Contest Virtual Awards Ceremony – July 23, 2026 at 7 p.m. EST Mark your calendar for the 2026 NSNC Virtual Awards Ceremony, which will be held on Thursday, July 23 at 7 p.m. EST. Winners will be announced at an online celebration on July 23 at 7 p.m. EST.…
NSNC 2026 Columnist Contest Deadline Extended – Enter by May 1 National Society of Newspaper Columnists Annual Column Contest Deadline Extended – Contest Closes: May 1, 2026 11:59 p.m. (EST) For Registration & General Guidelines visit: nsnc.submittable.com/submit Email Joanne Browkaw, contest chair, with any questions at joannebrokaw@gmail.com. “The NSNC Annual Columnist Contest gives columnists a chance to…
National Society of Newspaper Columnists Annual Column Contest Last Call to Enter! Closes: April 17, 2026 11:59 p.m. (EST) For Registration & General Guidelines visit: nsnc.submittable.com/submit Email Joanne Browkaw, contest chair, with any questions at joannebrokaw@gmail.com. “The NSNC Annual Columnist Contest gives columnists a chance to win awards for their submissions and be acknowledged by their peers.”…
Christine Heinrichs recently published a significant story that is raising awareness of elephant seals. Here is a link to the story: https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/avian-flu-strikes-californias-northern-elephant-seals-area-quarantined/ Heinrichs has published other important works about elephant seals. Her articles and books are featured at www.christineheinrichs.com.
