Excellence in Journalism 2013 — August 24-26 in Anaheim, Calif. — is now open for business. Register online today, or visit the EIJ13 website for details about hotel, transportation and pricing.

— Register Online
— Conference Highlights
— Tentative Schedule at a Glance
— Registration Rates
— Exhibitors and Recruiters in the Journalism Expo
— Hotel and Travel Information
— Making the most of your stay in Anaheim

SPJ’s Spring Conferences are day-long professional development meetings bringing area journalists, students and journalism educators together in one place to hear from industry experts on a wealth of topics. Get available details — including dates, locations and contacts — for all 12 regions by clicking here, or use the links below to go straight to your region's conference's website (if available):

April 5, 2013:
— Region 4: Dayton, Ohio
— Region 12: Oxford, Miss.

April 12, 2013:
— Region 1: New Brunswick, N.J. | @spjr1c
— Region 6: Bloomington, Minn. | @mwjournconf
— Region 9: Santa Fe, N.M.
— Region 10: Spokane, Wash.
— Region 11: Las Vegas, Nev.

April 19, 2013: Region 2: Norfolk, Va. | @SPJVA

April 26, 2013: Regions 5 and 7: St. Louis, Mo. | @SPJinSTL2013

May 3, 2013: Region 8: San Antonio, Tex.

Delegates at the 2011 national convention approved a bylaws change that transforms the way SPJ elects members of its national board. In the past, candidates were selected by chapter delegates. Now elections will be inclusive of all members — one member, one vote.

Run for Office
Board members help define the Society. The board of directors provides vision, direction and leadership to SPJ, the nation's largest journalism organization. Find out what positions are open this election season — and find out how you can fill one of those seats.

— Additional information
— Special Qualifications
— Campaign Guidelines
— How to run

How to participate as a voting SPJ member
In the past, chapter delegates elected officers and board members. Now all members can cast their own vote via a new online voting system. Find out more here.

The Ted Scripps Leadership Institute helps participants become better leaders by offering a mix of sessions focused on interpersonal and organizational leadership skills, as well as sound chapter management practices. Leaders can immerse themselves in everything SPJ, take an intuitive look at their own leadership style and make time for serious personal reflection, all while building new relationships with other SPJ leaders.

We love this program. So much, in fact, that we’re bringing it to your backyard. The Institute will make four stops this year at locations around the country. We're accepting applications now for our second and third programs in June and July, respectively, so apply today!

— Recap: Scripps Leadership Institute, Indianapolis

Apply today:
— Region 9: Denver, June 14-16 (apply by April 12)
— Region 12: Memphis, July 12-14 (apply by May 10)
— Region 2: Date and location coming soon!

Excellence in Journalism 2013 Scholarships and Fellowships: Apply now

Terry Harper Memorial Scholarships: Terry Harper passed away in 2009 after a two-year battle with brain cancer. In honor of Terry’s efforts to improve SPJ and the entire journalism community, the Sigma Delta Chi Foundation set up a memorial fund following his death. With a generous outpouring of support, the Society can now proudly provide up to four scholarships to SPJ members to attend its annual convention. Applications due April 29, 2013.

Diversity Leadership Fellows Program: As we face the many challenges of an evolving industry, strengthening SPJ’s diversity efforts is more important than ever. The goal of the Diversity Leadership Fellows program, ultimately, is to increase the diversity participation of SPJ members within national committees and on the national board of directors. As part of the program, we bring fellowship recipients to the convention to begin a year-long immersion and education program. Applications due April 29, 2013.

Robert D.G. Lewis First Amendment Award: From the generosity of the Lewis family, the award is given each year to a student SPJ member who has demonstrated outstanding service to the First Amendment through the field of journalism. The award assists a student with his/her attendance to SPJ's annual convention. Applications due April 29, 2013.

In honor of Sunshine Week, the Society of Professional Journalists announced the winner of its third annual Black Hole Award, which exposes the most heinous violations of the public's right to know.

This year, the winner is Oklahoma State University.

Oklahoma State was nominated by the Student Press Law Center for, among other things, ignoring the Clery Act by not notifying students, the public or its police department that university officials knew a serial sex offender was on campus. When asked why, OSU officials cited FERPA confidentiality requirements.

Read all about the “winner” and the other nominees here.

— More information: About the Black Hole Award
— 2012 Award: Read about the “winners”
— 2011 Recap: Utah the darkest pit in the United States

This free site from the Society of Professional Journalists contains thousands of links helpful for reporters, editors, educators or anyone else doing research. Edited by former Los Angeles Times reporter and DePaul instructor Mike Reilley, the site is organized by beats and industry topics such as Public Records, Crime, Legal Issues, Science, Environment, Journalism Jobs, Sports and more. The Toolbox is updated twice weekly and several times a day during prominent global breaking news events.

Results are rolling in for the 2012 Mark of Excellence Awards regional competitions! Regional winners were or will be announced at each region's respective spring conference. Once your region's results become available, you will be able to access them using the links below.

— Region 3 Winners

The Mark of Excellence Awards honor the best in student journalism. The awards offer categories for print, radio, television and online collegiate journalism. Entries are first judged on the regional level. First place regional winners advance to the national competition. National winners will be showcased on spj.org.

Miss a live episode? Want to see what's next? Find a complete collection of archived episodes and listings for any scheduled future episodes by following this link, or jump right into a recent episode using the listing below.

– Studio SPJ with Jim MacMillan - Mar 15,2013
– Studio SPJ with Bernardo Ruiz - Jan 04,2013
– Studio SPJ with Jennifer Livingston - Jan 03,2013
– Studio SPJ with Paula Poindexter - Dec 07,2012
– Studio SPJ: Journalism, Fair Use and Copyright Law - Nov 10,2012

Stay Tuned: Scenes from Studio SPJ
Studio SPJ is a series of half-hour Internet radio programs devoted to journalists talking on topics of interest to other journalists. Guests will include authors and newsmakers. This companion blog will serve as your guide, and we will also use this space to celebrate and promote the best and most creative programs SPJ chapters are offering their members. Latest entries:

– Studio SPJ: Talking with SDX Winner Craig LeMoult
– Talking with SDX winners
– A conversation with Thomas Peele
– More ethics training needed
– The Ethics of Freelancing

Where chapters grow. Check out the SPJ's official membership blog. Latest entries:

– 10 years already: Time flies when you’re a member of the Society of Professional Journalists
– You asked for it! A new way to let Society of Professional Journalists membership work for your newsroom
– Guest Blog: Transparency is good for members and good for SPJ
– Roundup: 4 notes for SPJ members as 2012 draws to a close
– To opine or not to opine: Social media proves fertile ground for a discussion about journalists and social media
– The accidental journalist? ASU student meets her fate under Friday night lights
– SPJ membership drive Q&A: Sandra Gonzalez hits the ground running in Las Vegas
– Guest post: Nebraska journalists sow seeds for an SPJ chapter
– SPJ membership drive Q&A: Rio Grande chapter prez says it’s all about jobs and training
– SPJ membership drive Q&A: Virginia pro chapter prez values connections and training