Student Publication Association National Conference 2025
The SPA National Awards and Conference is back for its biggest and best year yet!
#SPANC25 is coming to Exeter from Friday 4th – Sunday 6th April 2025 with a top lineup of speakers, hands-on workshops, networking meet ups and the UK’s largest student publication awards.
We’re thrilled to be bringing SPANC to Devon’s historic city. Keep up to date with speaker announcements and the launch of our national awards by following us on Instagram or signing up to receive the SPA’s newsletter.
"I’m delighted that #SPANC25 will take place in Exeter, hosted by Exeposé, a highly decorated member of the SPA."
Jack Walsh, SPA chair
This year's SPANC is brought to you with Exeposé, the University of Exeter's independent student newspaper.
In its current form Exeposé has been up and running since 1987 - but Exeter has had a student newspaper since at least 1938.
The paper has a rich history of agenda-setting scoops, from Boris Johnson commenting on initiation ceremonies in an interview, to threats of legal action from the university over a story on expenses.
Exeposé is a two-time Best Publication winner at the SPA awards, and has also been recognised for its campaigning journalism on Harry's Law, after the death of Exeter student Harry Armstrong Evans.
Roxy-Moon Dahal Hodson
SPA Conference & Events Officer
Working with Exeter media societies, we plan to create an inclusive conference with opportunities for everyone to get involved and of course create the best weekend possible. We cannot wait to welcome hundreds of student journalists to our wonderful city and university this April to celebrate another successful year of student journalism in the UK and Ireland!
Amy Rushton & Charlie Gershinson
Print Editor-in-Chief & Deputy Editor, Exeposé
Exeposé have proved they are keen and capable to host this event in conjunction with all of the team at the SPA, and we couldn’t be more happy to welcome them on board. This year will be bigger and better than before. We are increasingly finding more new and exciting ways to champion student journalism, so get ready for a fun, diverse, and action-packed national conference. See you there!
Tickets
Tickets for #SPANC25 are now on sale - and thanks to the generous support of Exeposé our all-in accommodated tickets are even price matched to 2024!
All-in accommodated ticket
Including two-nights in a twin room in an SPA-approved hotel, entrance to our awards, and all your meals.
Conference and awards ticket
Full access to our awards and conference, and some meals, but you find your own accommodation.
Conference-only ticket
This gets you into our full conference, but does not include our awards do or accommodation.
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.
Up to 80% off your train travel to #SPANC25 with GWR.
Workshops to get bespoke feedback on your work.
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, previous years’ have included sweet treats, magazines, our glossy brochure, socks, stationery and more.
A reserved seat at the National Awards, including a three-course dinner, as we celebrate the best of student journalism.
Meet students from across the UK and Ireland, network, and swap copies of your student publications.
Meals during the conference itself on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Accommodated tickets also include breakfast and a bed in a shared twin room at a hotel in Exeter.
An opportunity to vote at our AGM to shape SPA policy for the next year.
Speakers
Originally from Dublin, Nuala has presented Woman’s Hour on BBC Radio 4 since May 2024 after six years Nuala presenting OS on the World Service. She has reported from more than 30 countries throughout her career and has covered several of the most important events in recent history with the BBC, including the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II and coronation of King Charles III. Nuala was also the lead presenter for both of Donald Trump’s inaugurations in Washington, D.C. for the World Service and 5Live. During her time at Woman’s Hour, she has already interviewed an incredible line-up of women including Malala Yousafzai, Laura Dern, Rosamund Pike and Arlo Parks.
Morgan Jeffery is a British journalist specialising in television and entertainment. He serves as Digital Editor at Radio Times, overseeing all digital editorial operations in collaboration with the brand's Editorial Director and contributing in-depth articles and interviews. Before joining Radio Times, Jeffery was the TV Editor at Digital Spy, where he covered a wide range of television news and features. He has provided expert commentary on television and radio for broadcasters including the BBC, Sky and Channel 5, and is the co-host of the Two Geeks, Two Beers podcast, exploring various facets of pop culture.
Josh Sandiford is a freelance multimedia journalist. He mainly covers regional news and was most recently a journalist for BBC News in the West Midlands. He was previously a senior reporter at the Birmingham Mail and Birmingham Live. Before that he worked freelance with bylines at The Guardian, The Observer, The Big Issue, and others. He was shortlisted for young journalist of the year at the 2022 Regional Press Awards and shortlisted for the same award at the Media Freedom Awards in 2023. Former deputy editor of The Mancunion, Josh is passionate about helping students and aspiring journalists wherever he can.
Freya Parr is the Deputy Editor of National Trust Magazine and a freelance journalist based in Bristol, specialising in the arts and culture industries. She is the former Editor of Drama & Theatre Magazine, and previously worked for BBC Music Magazine as Digital Editor & Staff Writer. She is a regular contributor to titles including BBC Countryfile Magazine, Classical Music Magazine, Guardian, BBC Wildlife Magazine, Nearfield and Music Teacher Magazine. Alongside her journalism, Freya works with a range of commercial clients on copywriting and communications management, contributing programme notes for concert series such as Duke Arts in the US and record labels including Warner Classics.
Adam Quarshie is a journalist with the Bristol Cable, a pioneering local media cooperative, where he covers arts and culture and social issues. He’s also worked as a freelance music journalist for many years, writing features, artist profiles and reviews for publications such as Crack, The Quietus and The Wire. Alongside his work in journalism, he has worked in digital communications and copywriting roles for non-profit and community organisations, trade unions and universities.
Sonali is a digital marketing specialist with a career spanning over a decade across global organizations. With an MSc in Digital Marketing from the University of Exeter, achieved with Distinction, and an MBA from India, she currently leads Marketing & PR at a marine technology pioneer - HydroSurv. Her journey includes managing global UN events, developing content for higher education, and steering digital strategies across sectors. A dynamic writer and strategist, she excels at making complex technical innovations accessible to diverse audiences. She's also the author of "Threads of Connection," a poetry collection that reflects her love for storytelling.
Charlie Beckett is a professor in the Department of Media and Communications. He is the founding director of Polis, the London School of Economics' international journalism think-tank. Professor Beckett is currently leading the Polis Journalism and AI project. He was director of the LSE’s Truth, Trust and Technology Commission that reported on the misinformation crisis in 2018. Before joining the LSE in 2006 he was an award-winning journalist for over 20 years at LWT, BBC and ITN.
Flora Carmichael is the editor of BBC Trending - a BBC World Service programme and podcast which offers in-depth reporting on the world of social media. Her team is part of BBC Verify, which is a specialist unit focused on open source investigations, fact checking, data stories, and exposing disinformation. Previously, she led BBC Monitoring’s disinformation team and the Trusted News Initiative - a collaboration between the BBC, major news publishers and technology platforms. She has produced investigations about trolling and influence operations, and series produced a 2022 BBC Radio 4 series ‘The Future Will be Synthesised’ about AI-generated media.
Yasmeen Serhan is an American British journalist with nearly a decade of experience covering foreign affairs for American magazines. Prior to joining Reuters as digital features editor in January, she was a foreign affairs writer for TIME, where she penned cover stories, profiles, and analysis from the magazine's London bureau. Before TIME, Yasmeen was a staff writer at The Atlantic, where she covered global affairs with a focus on populism and nationalism. She was based out of the magazine’s London bureau, which she helped launch in 2017 as a reporter covering Britain and Europe. She was previously an editorial fellow on The Atlantic’s news desk in Washington, D.C.
Poonam Taneja is an investigative journalist, broadcaster and writer for BBC News, specialising in race, security and global affairs. She is also the host and creator for the multi-award winning podcast series, Bloodlines – a co-production between BBC Sounds and CBC Podcasts. Bloodlines garnered the New York Radio Festival Radio Awards Grand Prize, the DIG award and three nominations at the British Podcast Awards in 2024. Poonam Taneja was also a finalist for the Foreign Press Association Media Awards in 2024 and has reported from Afghanistan, Syria, India, Bosnia and many other countries across the world.
Andy is a freelance LGBT+ culture journalist. He is Bristol24/7’s LGBT+ Editor, and writes all digital and print features related to Bristol’s booming LGBT+ community. He was asked to write a book chapter for Our City: Community Activism in Bristol. His chapter focused on Bristol’s LGBT+ community building a support network for themselves against a backdrop of increasing anti-LGBT+ hostility from the UK government. Recently featured across 10 pages in Attitude Magazine’s January/February edition, his work focuses on bringing underrepresented perspectives to mainstream media. His feature for Attitude looked at Istanbul’s LGBT+ community as they fight against a government that’s increasingly hostile to Turkey’s queer population.
Lucy O'Brien is a Platforms and Social Media Journalist for The Times and The Sunday Times. Working across all sections of the papers, her role focuses on finding innovative ways to tell stories on social media while helping to engage new and younger audiences with the journalism. She primarily works in news and has covered both the UK and US elections, as well as major breaking events like the attempt on Donald Trump’s life. In addition to her role, she has freelanced as a writer, with bylines in The Sunday Times, Stylist, HuffPost UK, and Harper’s Bazaar, often covering topics related to Gen Z issues, women in the workplace, and sex and relationships.
Annabelle began her career with a two-year apprenticeship in the BBC’s political newsroom, Millbank, where she honed her reporting skills and deepened her understanding of the UK’s political system. This led to a prestigious position with the BBC World Service, where she now contributes to global news coverage. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for stories following the rise of extremism among young people on social media and spread of far-right political networks globally, Annabelle hopes to continue making significant strides in the world of journalism.
We know our industry is unequal — and as students, you rarely have spare cash lying around.
We also know the difference attending SPANC and winning our awards can make to your future career. Previous members and award winners have gone on to secure jobs at the BBC, Sky News, The Times, The Guardian, and many more.
We see it as a core part of our mission at the SPA to help diversify the industry and give opportunities to those not traditionally represented, so we’re pleased to bring back our Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS) for 2025, helping those otherwise unable to afford to come to Exeter for #SPANC25. Find out more here.
Countdown to #SPANC25
days
hours
minutes
seconds
Questions?
If you are looking to take a coach to Exeter, National Express runs direct services from London and Birmingham. From other locations, it would be most convenient to change in London, Birmingham or Bristol.
Exeter is located at the end of the M5 motorway. Parking is included with our accommodation options.
If you're coming from further afield, flights to Exeter Airport are available from Belfast, Dublin, Edinburgh and Newcastle. Flights to Bristol Airport are available from Aberdeen, Belfast, Cork, Dublin, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, and Newcastle.
If you’ve already found someone to share with, both attendees must indicate this when booking their ticket.
There is also the option to upgrade to a single-occupancy double room.
If you book a conference and events only ticket, it is up to you where you stay and you are responsible for finding your own accommodation.
The conference centre is on a main cycle route, served by both Digby and Sowton and Newcourt railway stations and within easy reach of Exeter City Centre.
This is a 24/7 coach service - South West Falcon (Plymouth to Bristol) - providing connections between Plymouth, Exeter, Taunton, Bristol Airport and Bristol City Centre. Tickets can be pre-booked at megabus.com. Visit www.swfalcon.com to find out more.
Service 9/9A (Exeter to Sidmouth) buses from Exeter city centre run up to every half hour, 7 days a week.
Green Park & Ride runs from Matford, through the city centre and out to Sowton up to every 15 minutes from Monday to Saturday.
All visitors will need to enter their vehicle registration number at one of the machines in the car park.
There is no need to display the receipt in the vehicle once paid.
Visitors can top up at a machine or by the RingGo app if overstayed.
Charges are as follows, from 6th January 2025:
Up to 15 minutes - free
Up to 1 hour - £1.50
2 – 5 hours - £4.50
5 – 12 hours - £6.50
12 – 18 hours - £7.50
24 hours - £12 .00
Mobile app RingGo can be used to pay for the parking.
National Awards
The SPA’s National Awards are a celebration of all the excellent work that takes place at student publications throughout the year! Our awards cover a wide variety of articles and publications and previous winners have gone onto score excellent jobs across the industry and beyond.
The winners of the awards will be announced at a ceremony on the Saturday night at SPANC.
Find out more about our awards, including our full awards guide, here.
Publication awards
Individual awards
You can nominate yourself twice for: Best News Story, Best Feature, Best Interview, Best Investigation, Best Comment Piece, Best Lifestyle Piece, Best Arts and Culture Piece, Best Creative Piece, Best Science or Tech Piece.
You can nominate yourself once for: Best Reporter, Best Student Photographer, Rising Star, Best Sports Reporter, Best Culture Writer
There is no limit on how many times you can nominate other people, see our full awards guide for more details.
Past winners
The SPA would love your help to keep supporting the next generation of student journalists.
We are committed to increasing diversity in in the media industry, and every year support students from backgrounds not traditionally represented to attend our conference. But we can only run our events with your kind support, to keep prices either free or as low as possible.
Give a one-off donation here or consider becoming a sponsor. Contact our sponsorship officer here to find out more about the packages available - from small to large, it all helps!