SPJ’s Regional Conferences are virtual this year! All regions are featuring two one-hour sessions for our entire membership, coordinated by SPJ. The Regional Coordinators and conference coordinators will also host their region’s Mark of Excellence Award ceremonies with their own unique Zoom links.
Programming schedule
Register today!
You can register for free using this link. Please register by 5 p.m. ET April 8 to ensure you receive your invite to both the main event and your region's Mark of Excellence Awards ceremony.
Additional programming
Region 6: 2021 Midwest Journalism Conference
The 2021 Midwest Journalism Conference will be held virtually on April 14-15, followed by an in-person conference in October. Get more details and register here.
Region 1 and Region 9
Regions 1 and 9 will offer additional programming on April 9-10. For more information, contact:
Region 1: Chris Vaccaro
Region 9: Eric Peterson
“How We Got the Story” is a two-part session. First, learn about collaborating with a professional partner. Moderated by Kathy Best (University of Maryland), this session features Bob Little at NPR and Sandy Banisky and Sean Mussenden from the University of Maryland. They will talk about the Code Red Project on the impact of climate change on poor, urban neighborhoods.
The session continues with panelists discussing how collaboration worked on an investigative project involving several universities. Their investigations focus on the criminalization of homelessness. This segment features the work of Cheryl Phillips (Stanford University), Rob Wells (University of Arkansas) and Deborah Nelson (University of Maryland).
Did you breathe a sigh of relief when you turned your calendar to 2021? Never before has fear for our safety and attacks on our professional credibility been this intense. This session will provide you with warning signs that you're way beyond being stressed and overworked. Recognize the red flags and be prepared to take care of yourself. Find relief from some specific dos and don'ts and work to invest in your own mental health with Dr. Tammy McCoy-Arballo, a licensed Clinical Forensic psychologist. She is a former journalist who works with journalists and first responders. Jerry McCormick, SPJ At-Large Board Member, will moderate.
Annually, the Society of Professional Journalists presents the Mark of Excellence Awards, honoring 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.
Note: If you've registered for the conference but have not receive a Zoom invite by April 8 for your region's MOE ceremony, please contact your regional coordinator for an invite.
SPJ News
– Eric Boodman receives New America Award for coverage of a Haitian hospital worker’s COVID-19 death
– SPJ: Pegasus Project findings ‘staggering and outrageous’
– SPJ, CMA, ACP announce 2022 conference partnership
Events and Deadlines
– 7/23/21: Where We Live: Covering the intersection of housing and racism
– 7/31/21: Application deadline: SPJ Foundation Grants
– 8/06/21: You Are Here: A virtual meetup for journalists
– 8/11/21: Numbers are not neutral: How journalists can detect deep bias & avoid hidden traps
– 8/13/21: Entry Deadline: Eugene S. Pulliam First Amendment Award
