Upcoming Workshops & Events
Oct. 4-10
National Newspaper Week
2026 marks the 86th celebration of National Newspaper Week. Since 1940, Newspaper Association Managers has sponsored and supported National Newspaper Week, a week-long promotion of the newspaper industry in the United States and Canada.
Rooted in Community, Committed to Truth
In small towns, suburbs and cities across America, local newspapers are there for the moments that matter — elections and ballgames, new businesses and school decisions, celebrations and tragedies.
How we deliver the news has changed. Why we do it hasn’t.
Newspapers inform their communities, hold government accountable and tell the stories no one else will. That commitment is at the heart of National Newspaper Week 2026 and this year’s theme: “Rooted in Community, Committed to Truth.”
Why Newspapers Matter
Local journalism is just that — local.
It’s the city council vote that affects your taxes, the school board decision involving your children, the state championship team and the new business opening on Main Street.
Newspapers put reporters in the room, ask questions and provide accurate, verified information when facts matter most.
They also connect communities. Newspapers celebrate accomplishments, honor veterans, publish obituaries, cover emergencies and record the everyday moments that become a community’s history.
A Commitment Worth Supporting
Strong local journalism doesn’t happen by accident. Subscriptions, advertising and community support help keep reporters covering the people, institutions and decisions that matter.
National Newspaper Week is also a time to recognize the journalists, publishers, photographers, advertising teams, press operators, carriers and others who make that work possible every day.
Help Tell Our Story
Download the National Newspaper Week materials and use them in print, online and across social media. Devote as many column inches as possible to reminding readers why their local newspaper matters.
Every newspaper serves a different community, but together we share the same purpose: keeping people informed, preserving the public record and protecting the public’s right to know.
The platforms will change. Technology will change.
The need for trusted local journalism won’t.
Oct. 15 | 2-3 p.m.
Practical Podcasting for Small Newsrooms: Turning Local Reporting into Audio That Builds Audience
Online Media Campus
Learn how to launch a podcast without a dedicated audio team, choose affordable equipment and workflows, repurpose existing reporting into compelling audio stories, and create a format that strengthens audience loyalty and reaches new listeners.
Speaker: Justin Brady helps innovative organizations communicate their ideas and grow their audiences through effective marketing and communications strategies. He is the host of The Justin Brady Show, where he has interviewed leaders from companies including Starbucks, Mattel, GoDaddy, and Hint, as well as bestselling authors, policymakers, and other influential voices. His extensive podcasting experience gives him firsthand insight into creating compelling audio content that engages audiences. His writing on innovation and creativity has appeared in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and Harvard Business Review.
The cost to attend this online training is $35. Register here.
Please note this event will take place from 2-3 p.m. Eastern.
Nov. 5 | 2-3 p.m.
Beyond the Final Score: Stronger Sports Reporting and Storytelling
Online Media Campus
Great sports coverage is about more than reporting the final score. It means finding fresh angles, building trust with sources and uncovering the stories that help readers connect with athletes, teams and their communities.
Scott Dochterman, national college football reporter for The Athletic, will share lessons from his years covering Iowa athletics and college sports. Participants will gain practical ideas for sharpening their reporting, interviews and storytelling—whether covering a rivalry game, developing a feature or writing on a tight deadline.
This session will cover:
- Finding compelling stories beyond traditional game coverage
- Fresh angles that engage readers
- Building productive relationships with sources
- Conducting stronger, more revealing interviews
Speaker: Scott Dochterman covers national college sports for The Athletic, where he has worked since 2018. Dochterman is the 2023 co-winner of the FWAA Beat Writer of the Year award and has won 12 national awards and 30 state awards for writing and editing. In addition to The Athletic, Dochterman has worked for The Cedar Rapids Gazette, St. Joseph (Mo.) News-Press, Fort Dodge Messenger, The (Burlington) Hawk Eye, the Muscatine Journal and Cox Media Group. Dochterman is a 1997 graduate of Western Illinois University.
The cost to attend this online training is $35. Register here.
Please note this event will take place from 2-3 p.m. Eastern.
Nov. 13 | 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Executive Committee Meeting
SCPA Offices, Columbia
Membership applications must be submitted to SCPA no later than Oct. 26, to be reviewed at the Nov. 13 Executive Committee Meeting. Please contact us for more details!
Nov. 26-27
Happy Thanksgiving!
SCPA & SCNN Offices Closed
Dec. 1
SCPA Foundation Internship & Scholarship Application Deadline
Dec. 1, 2026, is the deadline to apply for a South Carolina Press Association Foundation internship and/or scholarship.
The Foundation’s 2027 summer internship program provides a meaningful, hands-on training experience for students interested in news reporting, copy editing, photojournalism, advertising or visual communications. Our internship program prepares students for careers at S.C. newspapers after they graduate. Two or more interns are placed each summer at SCPA member newspapers, allowing students an invaluable real-world training experience. Each internship is eight weeks long and pays $4,480. Internships are open to student journalists who attend a four-year college in South Carolina or reside in South Carolina and attend a four-year college elsewhere. Rising juniors and seniors, and recent college graduates are eligible to apply.
The Foundation also awards a scholarship each year to a S.C. college student interested in pursuing a newspaper career. The premier scholarship, worth $1,000 per academic year, is named for the Foundation’s first president, the late Frank R. Mundy of the Greenwood Index-Journal. In the past few years, SCPA has been able to offer an additional $1,000 scholarship thanks to an anonymous donor.
Applications will also be available this fall for the Foundation’s newest learning opportunity – the Butch Hughes Advertising Sales Summer Internship! Please check back for more details.
Dec. 4
News Contest Deadline
Rules for the 2026 News Contest, Associate/Individual Member Contest and Collegiate Contest are now available. The deadline to enter is Dec. 4.
Each editor will receive an email with login information for the contest entry platform on Oct. 2. Reporters, photographers and other staff members should get the login from their editor.
The contest period is for work published between Nov. 16, 2025 through Nov. 15, 2026.
All entrants should read the general contest rules (located in PDFs of each contest’s rules) before submitting entries. In addition to the category criteria, it is important that you understand rules relating to eligibility, AI, paywalls, file types and more.
Awards will be presented March 12, 2027, at the SCPA Annual Meeting in Columbia.
Dec. 4
Hall of Fame Nomination Deadline
The S.C. Journalism Hall of Fame was established in 1973 to recognize and honor men and women who have excelled in their craft and made significant contributions to journalism and their communities.
Requirements for admission specify that a nominee must have made his or her journalistic reputation in South Carolina. If the reputation reflects achievements outside the state, the nominee must have been a native of South Carolina. Nominees must have been deceased for four or more years.
Nominations may be made by anyone now or previously employed by or associated with a South Carolina newspaper.
We will honor Hall of Fame recipients at the Annual Meeting and Awards on March 12, 2027.
Here’s how to nominate someone for the Hall of Fame.
Dec. 8 | 11 a.m.
Nominating Committee Meeting
More details and agenda coming soon!
Dec. 9 | 11 a.m.
Hall of Fame Committee Meeting
More details and agenda coming soon!
Dec. 24-25
Happy Holidays!
SCPA & SCNN Offices Closed
Jan. 1, 2027
Happy New Year!
SCPA & SCNN Offices Closed
Jan. 18, 2027
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
SCPA & SCNN Offices Closed
March 11-12, 2027
SCPA Annual Meeting & Awards
Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center
You don’t want to miss seeing 200+ SCPA friends at the 2027 S.C. Press Association Annual Meeting and Awards! Make plans to join us March 11-12, 2027, at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center in the heart of downtown Columbia for awards presentations, educational sessions and networking!
Our meeting is a time to celebrate the Palmetto State’s commitment to outstanding journalism! Come have a good time and get re-energized about the important work you do to serve your readers every day.
This year’s convention will feature educational and networking events including an opening reception at Columbia’s riverfront biergarten, informative and inspiring training sessions, Executive Committee Meeting, Independent/Family-Owned Newspaper Breakfast Roundtable and our highlight event – the News Contest Awards Presentation and Hall of Fame Luncheon, which recognize the best and brightest in newspaper journalism.
Full schedule of events and registration details coming in late 2026!
The deadline to register is Feb. 26, 2027.
March 14-20, 2027
Sunshine Week
Sunshine Week is set for March 14-20, 2027. Sunshine Week is a nonpartisan collaboration among groups in the journalism, civic, education, government and private sectors that shines a light on the importance of public records and open government.
We encourage you to write and share editorials, stories and columns about the importance of openness to your community. Please share your Sunshine Week articles, projects and events so we can help promote them.
The national Sunshine Week project has several resources, including logos, cartoons, games and more. More content, including columns, will be added in the coming month. Sunshine Week is coordinated by the Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications and a growing list of partners, including SC
April 9, 2027
SCPA Collegiate Meeting & Awards
Save the date… More details coming soon!
Earn Your Press Pass Online Journalism & Ad Sales Training
The South Carolina Press Association Foundation is excited to offer Earn Your Press Pass! Thanks to funding from the Foundation, this self-paced online training course is now available to all SCPA members at no charge. This training will be especially helpful for early-career journalists, collegiate journalists, freelancers, new sales reps and employees with limited training or experience.
Journalism training topics include newspaper basics, interviewing and reporting skills, sourcing considerations, news judgment, headline and cutline writing, AP Style, copy editing and basic photography.
Newspaper Sales Training Course
Earn Your Press Pass has a companion course to help take non-sales, non-newspaper people and get them ready to sell into your publication.
This self-guided, fully online course is designed to teach a new salesperson all about the ins and outs of newspaper advertising. Users will learn about a variety of topics, including advertising terminology, building relationships, best practices, needs analysis selling, making the sale, ethics and more!
Members who complete the journalism and/or ad sales course will receive a Certificate of Completion.
If you have a reporter or sales rep who could benefit from this training, please sign up!
Contests & Awards
The South Carolina Press Association recognizes the best in South Carolina journalism through our annual contests. Our prestigious awards programs are open to SCPA members only. Each year, more than 3,000 entries are received in SCPA’s News, Advertising and Collegiate Contests.
- Our annual News Contest recognizes excellence in journalism. We also have an Associate and Individual member division, and a Collegiate Contest. Rules for the 2026 News and Collegiate Contest are now available. The deadline to enter is Dec. 4, 2026. Awards will be presented at the SCPA Annual Meeting on March 12, 2027, at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center.
- The PALMY Advertising Awards recognize the Palmetto State’s best, brightest and most enterprising advertising professionals and advertisers, and the impact they have made in their communities! Congrats 2026 PALMY winners! Rules for the 2027 Advertising Contest will go live in May 2027. Awards will be presented in July 2027!
Other Training Opportunities
- SCPA now offers free, individualized virtual training on legal and FOI topics for member newspapers. Learn more.
- SCPA members can attend Local Media Association webinars at a reduced rate because our state is a Media Association Partner.
- Poynter’s News University offers more than 100 interactive on-demand journalism courses. Several courses are free thanks to grant funding.