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Student Publication Association

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Student Publication Association (SPA)
Formation2012
TypeCharity
PurposeTo promote and support student journalism
HeadquartersLondon
Location
Region served
UK and Ireland
Membership
200 Member Publications[1]
Chair
Jack Walsh
WebsiteSPAJournalism.com

The Student Publication Association (SPA) is a national body for student newspapers and magazines in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. The SPA aims to provide support and training for student journalists, encourage best practice, and recognise success.[2]

It is a non-profit body run by a team of 26 volunteers, with six elected committee members, eight appointed regional officers, and up to eight trustees.[3] Currently it has more than 200 member publications across the two countries.[4]

The association was formed in 2012[5] and holds an annual national conference and awards ceremony for student journalists,[6][7][8] as well as other various initiatives throughout the year.

In 2020, the SPA was entered onto the register of charities as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation.[9]

Governing Structure

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The organisation is made up of five elected committee members, who are usually students or recent graduates. The team for 2024/25 is as follows:[10]

  • Chair: Jack Walsh
  • Training & Opportunities Officer: Joe McFadden
  • Communications Officer: Matthew Stothard
  • Conference & Events Officer:
  • Sponsorship Officer: Libby Elliott
  • Membership Officer: Rory Bucherri

The executive committee is supported by a team of eight regional officers and overseen by a trustee board of established journalists, some of which are elected and some appointed. The trustee board is currently made up of the following:[11]

  • Aubrey Allegretti
  • Jem Collins
  • Geri Scott
  • Richard Brooks
  • Ollie Cole
  • Anttoni Numminen
  • James Mole
  • Emma Penney

National Awards

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The Student Publication Association runs a national awards scheme for students in the UK and Republic of Ireland, which been in place since 2013.[12] Since the closure of the Guardian Student Media Awards in 2016[13] the awards have become the only full set of journalism awards for students in the UK. They are judged by professional journalists across the industry and in 2024, a record 1246 entries were received.

#SPANC

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In addition to a number of smaller regional conferences, the organisation holds an annual national conference during the Easter holidays.[14] The conference is held across three days at a UK university, and features talks and workshops from professional journalists, as well as the annual SPA Awards presentation evening. Currently, the conference has been held in:

  • Southampton (2013)[15]
  • Nottingham Trent (2014)[16]
  • Southampton (2015)[17]
  • Loughborough (2016)[18]
  • Leeds (2017)[19]
  • Cardiff (2018)[20]
  • York (2019)[21]
  • Online (2020)
  • Online (2021)
  • Sheffield (2022) [22]
  • Glasgow (2023) [23]
  • Bristol (2024)[24]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ [1]
  2. ^ "About". Student Publication Association. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
  3. ^ "History -". Retrieved 21 April 2017.
  4. ^ "Current Members -". Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  5. ^ Llewellyn, Gareth (15 April 2013). "Student publication support network finally rolled out". The Journal: Scotland's Student Newspaper. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
  6. ^ "Roar! wins Best Website and receives special recognition at national SPA awards". Roar News. 5 May 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
  7. ^ "The Saint wins student media award". The Saint. 5 May 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
  8. ^ "The Student Publication Association Conference 2013". Life at Southampton. 23 April 2013. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
  9. ^ @SPAJournalism (15 January 2020). "Some big news for the SPA today" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 16 January 2020. Retrieved 21 July 2023 – via Twitter.
  10. ^ "Executive committee -". spajournalism.com. Archived from the original on 8 February 2017.
  11. ^ "Trustee Board -". Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  12. ^ "#SPANC13 winners announced -". Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  13. ^ "Guardian cancels student media awards to save costs – Press Gazette". www.pressgazette.co.uk. 24 June 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  14. ^ "#SPANC19 -". Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  15. ^ "The Student Publication Association Conference 2013". www.southampton.ac.uk. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  16. ^ Kubisa, Laurence de Lussy (9 May 2014). "Felix goes to #SPANC for the weekend". felixonline.co.uk. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  17. ^ Collins, Jem (12 April 2015). "#SPANC15 sees more than 100 student journalists descend on Southampton -". Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  18. ^ "The #SPAShortlist". 19 January 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  19. ^ "#SPANC17 - The Student Media Conference". Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  20. ^ Frank-Keyes, Jessica (1 April 2018). "#SPANC18 Information Pack -". Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  21. ^ "#SPANC19 -". Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  22. ^ Unger-Verna, Marino (10 April 2022). "SPA national awards 2022 winners announced - Student Publication Association". Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  23. ^ Allegretti, Aubrey (2 April 2023). "SPANC23: National awards winners - Student Publication Association". Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  24. ^ Scott, Geri (15 April 2024). "SPANC24: National award winners announced". Retrieved 20 August 2024.
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