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

2014 Column Contest Opens

The well-regarded annual contest of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists is open! We’ll have further announcements later in the winter, mainly to serve as reminders to get your three samples per category over to NSNC headquarters, but know that our deadline this year is: Saturday, March 15, midnight Pacific Update: Deadline extended to Tuesday,…

2014 Will Rogers Humanitarian Award Taking Nominations

Will Rogers typing

Nominations are being accepted for the Will Rogers Humanitarian Award, presented annually by the National Society of Newspaper Columnists to recognize a writer whose work has positively affected readers’ lives and produced tangible humanitarian benefits. Click on these links for a history of the award and an annotated list of winners with biographies may be…

Gawk No Further

Locgo for Gawker.com

Opinion By Suzette Martinez Standring 2004-06 President National Society of Newspaper Columnists Let’s talk about needless savagery that poses as column writing. On a seesaw of best and worst, columnist Kathleen Parker of The Washington Post is a fulcrum. Hamilton Nolan of the Gawker lists her as one of “The Least Important Writers of 2013.”…

Columns of 1st-Place Winners, 2013

Top of an NSNC winning column for 2013 by Tom Rademacher of the Grand Rapids Press.

With the 2014 column contest of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists now open — see 2014 Contest Rules for details — writers interested in submitting three pieces they published or posted in 2013 might find it helpful to see what the previous winners did. Following are PDFs or links to the winning columns of…

2014 Column Contest Rules

Trophies image

These are the rules for the 2014 column contest, covering columns published in the 2013 calendar year. First place in each category will receive $300, second place $200 and third place $100, in addition to certificates suitable for framing. Honorable mentions receive certificates. Deadline for entries is Saturday, March 15, 2014, midnight Pacific. Update: Deadline…

Payment for 2014 Column Contest

Contest Entries Pile Up

Entering the 2014 NSNC Column Contest requires two steps: Completing the entry form and payment. Each has convenient options. The 2014 Contest Entry Form is available in two versions — PDF or Word (2014 Contest Entry Form PDF / 2014 Contest Entry Form MS Word) — which you can print, fill out and postal-mail to…