Student Publication Association

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]

Student Publication Association (SPA)
Formation2012
TypeCharity
PurposeTo promote and support student journalism
Headquarters13 Brake Wood Close, EX31 3DP
Location
Membership
150 Member Publications[1]
WebsiteSPAJournalism.com

It is a non-profit body run by a team of volunteers, with five elected committee members, eight appointed regional officers, and up to seven trustees.[3] Currently it has more than 150 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

The organisation is made up of five elected committee members, who are usually students or recent graduates. The team for 2019/20 is as follows:[10]

  • Chair: Owain Evans
  • Training & Opportunities Officer: Edd Church
  • Communications Officer: Mila Georgieva
  • Conference & Events Officer: Chay Quinn
  • Sponsorship Officer: Annissa Warsame

The executive committee is supported by a team of 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
  • Elliot Davies
  • Sian Elvin
  • Geri Scott

National Awards

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.

#SPANC

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]

See also

References
  2. "About". Student Publication Association. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
  3. "History -". Retrieved 2017-04-21.
  4. "Current Members -". Retrieved 2017-04-21.
  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. May 5, 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. https://twitter.com/SPAJournalism/status/1217536084336246784. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  10. http://spajournalism.com/meet-team-executive-committee/
  11. "Trustee Board -". Retrieved 2018-04-04.
  12. "#SPANC13 winners announced -". Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  13. "Guardian cancels student media awards to save costs – Press Gazette". www.pressgazette.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  14. "#SPANC19 -". Retrieved 2019-02-05.
  15. "The Student Publication Association Conference 2013". www.southampton.ac.uk. Retrieved 2019-02-05.
  16. Kubisa, Laurence de Lussy. "Felix goes to #SPANC for the weekend". felixonline.co.uk. Retrieved 2019-02-05.
  17. Collins, Jem (2015-04-12). "#SPANC15 sees more than 100 student journalists descend on Southampton -". Retrieved 2019-02-05.
  18. "The #SPAShortlist". Retrieved 2019-02-05.
  19. "#SPANC17 - The Student Media Conference". Retrieved 2019-02-05.
  20. Frank-Keyes, Jessica (2018-04-01). "#SPANC18 Information Pack -". Retrieved 2019-02-05.
  21. "#SPANC19 -". Retrieved 2019-02-05.


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