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#SPANC24 location revealed
The Student Publication Association's National Conference is heading to Bristol! It's the first time our annual gathering of student journalists from across the UK & Ireland will be held in the south west, and we're delighted to be bringing together a weekend of talks, workshops, networking and awards to the city of balloons, bridges & culture.
#SPANC24 will be hosted from April 12th-14th by a whopping five publications at the University of Bristol:
- Epigram, the university’s independent newspaper
- The Croft, Epigram’s lifestyle magazine
- The Bristorian, the university's humanities department academic magazine
- La Civetta, a bilingual general interest magazine covering Italian politics, sport, food and more
- That’s What She Said Magazine, a student-led intersectional feminist magazine.
Each year, SPANC features a weekend of talks and workshops aimed at students attempting to begin their career in journalism, with last year’s speakers including Pippa Crerar, political editor for the Guardian, Paul McNamee, UK editor of the Big Issue, and Ravi Sagoo, freelance broadcaster with the BBC.
Last year’s conference attracted over 200 student journalists from across the UK and Ireland, making it our biggest SPANC yet, and we're excited to make things even bigger & better for 2024.
Save the date!
Jess Walmsley
SPA Conference & events officer
"We are so excited to announce the location for our 11th national conference and awards ceremony is Bristol! We were so excited to receive a bid from the team and can’t wait to start working together. I want to make sure this year's conference is one of our best yet. I'm keen to be inclusive, invite exciting speakers to come and network with you, and most importantly have some fun! Keep your eyes on our website and socials for early bird ticket announcements and make sure to shine a light on the excellent work you’re doing with our regional awards in the meantime, with more news on the way soon."
Ella Woszczyk
Co-Deputy Editor, Epigram
"I am so excited to help organise this year’s conference and am thrilled that Bristol has been selected as the host city. It’s such a vibrant and beautiful place to study and I am in no doubt that fellow student journalists will have a wonderful time exploring everything that it has to offer.
Epigram has gone from strength to strength this year and having joined the community as a contributing writer, it was an honour being appointed to the 23/24 senior team to promote and oversee the hard work of our wonderful team of editors and writers. We hope you all have an unforgettable experience in Bristol!"
Milan Perera
SPA south west regional officer
"SPANC is the crowning jewel of student journalism, and I am incredibly pleased that it is coming back to the south west for the first time. Bristol is a vibrant city with a proud history. It is steeped in its traditions but in the meantime innovative and progressive. Bristol boasts of a proud media and journalism tradition and the University of Bristol is no stranger to this journalistic excellence. As a media fraternity at Bristol we stand on the shoulders of giants such as James Landale, Susana Reid, Katya Adler and Dominic Waghorn. We are looking forward to welcoming the best and brightest in student journalism from around the country and making sure the SPA National Conference is a memorable experience for all the participants where you can learn from each other and exchange ideas to take your student journalism to the next level."
More details of the SPA's 2024 national conference and ticket information will be released in the coming weeks and months, as well as news of how to enter our national awards.
Keep in the know and get involved in the excitement by using #SPANC24, following our Instagram and Twitter, and signing up to the SPA newsletter below.
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