Student Publication Association National Conference 2024
The SPA National Awards and Conference is back for another year!
Fresh off of our most successful year yet at Glasgow in 2023, #SPANC24 is coming to Bristol from 12th - 14th April 2024 with a top lineup of speakers, workshops, networking meet ups and the UK’s largest student publication awards.
Last year we celebrated our 10th anniversary by bringing a record-breaking number of talented student journalists from up and down the country together in one place for a weekend of Scottish fun.
This time around we’re taking SPANC to the South West for the first time ever. Thanks to our host publications Epigram, The Croft, The Bristorian, La Civetta and That's What She Said Magazine, we're ready to take over the city of balloons, bridges and Banksy.
A welcome social on Friday (with food!) giving you the chance to meet other student journalists and let off some steam.
Access to the full conference programme with panel discussions and keynote speaker events from top journalists.
Access to one-to-one drop in sessions with senior industry professionals, as well as workshops to get bespoke feedback on your work.
Your chance to run for election to be part of the SPA’s executive committee next year and put on an even better event.
A goody bag full of freebies, last year’s included sweet treats, magazines, our glossy brochure and more.
Meet students from across the UK and Ireland, network, and swap copies of your student publications.
A reserved seat at the SPA Awards, including a three-course sit-down dinner and drinks, as we celebrate the best of student journalism.
Meals during the conference itself on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Accommodated tickets also include breakfast and a bed in a twin room at a hotel in central Bristol.
An opportunity to vote at our AGM to shape SPA policy for the next year (this year we added three new awards categories based on last year’s motions).
Countdown to #SPANC24
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#SPANC24 is set to be our biggest national conference yet - giving you the chance to hear from industry experts, network with members from across the UK and Ireland, brush up your skills with our hands-on workshops and leave with plenty of tips for improving your student publication and entering the journalism industry.
Ticket sales for #SPANC24 are now closed, so it's time to get ready for a great weekend of talks, panels, networking, workshops and awards.
We'll hear from headline speakers at major national titles, as well as freelancers and those who have recently made the jump from university to full-time journalism about how they did it. Keep an eye on our Instagram and Twitter for speaker announcements, and check out those already announced below
Our #SPANC24 speakers
Check back as we reveal more of the industry professionals and experts joining us in Bristol in the coming weeks
#SPANC24: The weekend ahead
Save the timetable to your phone, check out our workshops and full delegate brochure and start planning your conference weekend! We can't wait to see you.
Our full #SPANC24 brochure is now available to view online - just click the image to the left. You can also see our full timetable of panels below and save the image to your phone.
Plus, don't forget we've got hands-on tips and training across the conference with our workshops. If you've already signed up to our bookable sessions then you'll have all the info you need in your inbox, but there's no need to sign-up to our Breaking News workshop with our headline sponsors News Associates. You'll find it at 11:45am in the Stephenson Room, with all you need to equip you for delivering fast, accurate coverage of breaking news. Find out more and save it in your calendar here.
Questions?
If you're getting the train, Bristol Temple Meads railway station runs direct services from London, Scotland, Wales, Manchester and Birmingham.
Bristol Parkway is located to the north of the city. Services run from Birmingham, Cardiff, Gloucester and London.
A number of national and regional coach services run to Bristol from across the country including Megabus, National Express and Falcon.
Bristol is ideally situated for road access from London as well as from the north and east of England and South Wales, it being situated at the intersection of the M4 and M5 motorways. Parking is not included with any of our accommodation options but is available for an extra charge if arranged directly with the hotel.
Bristol operates a Clean Air Zone. Most vehicles will not be charged, but it is your responsibility to check and pay any charges.
If you're coming from further afield, flights to Bristol Airport are available from Aberdeen, Belfast, Cork, Dublin, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, and Newcastle.
National Awards
It’s been another bumper year for the Student Publication Association (SPA) national awards, attracting more than 1,200 entries - a record for the SPA once again (and more than some of the best-known awards in the industry!).
Our shortlists have now been revealed, with student publications, writers, designers and photographers all set to be celebrated at our glitzy #SPANC24 awards night. If you can't make it to our conference and awards weekend in Bristol, the awards will also be live-streamed on 13th April so keep an eye out on our socials for all the info you need.
Thanks to everyone who took the time to enter, our judges have faced a really tough task picking our national award winners. Previous winners have gone on to score excellent jobs across the industry and beyond, including at The Times, Sky News, the Press Association, and the BBC. We can't wait to see what the future holds for all those who entered their work for 2024.
Any questions? Email admin@spajournalism.com