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!

Suit Up For Writing Online: Word Count Matters

by Bonnie Jean Feldkamp NSNC Director of Media There’s a reason Erma Bombeck and Art Buchwald columns were under 500 words and Ernie Pyle kept his to 700. It works. Not only is that what many editors want, it’s also what most people are willing to read. Humor columnists and opinion bloggers, in particular, must…

Old Man to host Alex in 2017

By Lisa Smith Molinari President National Society of Newspaper Columnists There is a steep granite cliff among the towering White Mountains of New Hampshire, where, for many years, the glacier-sculpted profile of “the Old Man of the Mountain” looked out upon the state — guarding its historical significance, uniquely American ideals, fiercely independent residents, and…

Manchester, NH, Named for 2017 National Society of Newspaper Columnists Annual Conference

  Manchester, NH — Manchester will see an influx of columnists from all over the country (staff, freelance, syndicated, self-syndicated, independent, and bloggers), June 8-11, 2017. The National Society of Newspaper Columnists (NSNC) announces Manchester, New Hampshire, as the site of its 2017 annual conference. The Radisson Hotel in downtown Manchester is eager to host.…

A Pyle Winner Who Actually Knew Pyle

This is the 11th in a series of articles about recipients of the NSNC’s annual Ernie Pyle Lifetime Achievement Award. By Dave Astor Archivist National Society of Newspaper Columnists   I was fortunate to attend every NSNC conference from 1993 to 2002, so I got to see the first ten presentations of the Ernie Pyle…

Always Watching

By Dave Lieber Dallas Morning News  columnist Reminders came my way that people are always watching you, the columnist. We’re always on stage. Even when we think we’re not.   The world is big, but the community is so small.   Last week, a man wrote me the following:   “Mr. Lieber, you most likely do not remember me,…

NSNC Partners with Journalism and Women Symposium!

A record number of women columnists and bloggers have joined the National Society of Newspaper Columnists (NSNC) this year. This is great news considering a study from Media Matters For America found that women make up only 38 percent of newsroom staff. Women in journalism matter. When women and men equally report and share their…