SPA announces winners of the 2026 National Awards
Apply now: The SPA needs new regional and project officers
The Student Publication Association (SPA) is asking you to apply now for its regional and project officer positions for 2026/27.
#SPANC26 saw us elect a new executive committee, and now we have a whole host of roles up for grabs, supporting our regional work throughout the year and taking on specific projects to help the SPA serve its 230+ member publications throughout the year.
We value everyone’s input and aim for these roles to provide useful experience to put on your CV, connect you with industry professionals and equip you with valuable skills.
Time commitment: The baseline commitment we would expect is about 2 hours per week. This fluctuates during the year, depending on how busy the SPA is. In the run up to regional events and national conferences, it is likely to be more. We would expect all officers to join semi-regular meetings, to update on their work.
To apply, you can fill out the Google Form at the end of this post or click here to open in a new tab.
Regional Officers
This team works alongside the Exec to provide support and events for publications in their regions across the UK and Republic of Ireland. You will be a dedicated point of contact for our member publications in your region and work on outreach surrounding our Regional Awards! This year we also hosted a regional conference for every region of the SPA and you would be in charge of making sure we can run a similar event in your region again!
Key responsibilities will include:
- Serving as the first point of contact for all publications within the Regional Officer’s area, should advice be required or issues arise
- Act as a conduit between their area’s publications, and the Executive Committee and Trustees
- Promote the work of member publications within their area, within the SPA and the wider student media community
- Support the chosen member publication within their area, alongside the Executive Committee, to organise and host the SPA regional events and awards
- Assist with the organisation of the SPA National Conference, liaising with speakers from their area, and helping to market the conference to member publications
- Attend regular meetings with other Regional Officers and the SPA Executive Committee to report on progress and liaise with other representatives
Project Officers
Advocacy Officer
One of the biggest roles the SPA plays is protecting our members against censorship from universities, unions, or outside bodies and helping when they get in trouble.
Our advocacy officer will protect free student journalism and fight your corner when you need it. And when we can’t help - for example with a legal issue - we’ll point you in the direction of someone who can.
The Advocacy Officer’s duties will include:
- Serving as a point of contact for publications experiencing issues with students’ unions and universities;
- Liaising with the Executive Committee to draft statements and advice regarding member publications’ disputes;
- Monitoring emerging issues within student media;
- Proactively reaching out to publications with difficulties;
- Cultivating contacts who are willing to give their expert advice to student journalists.
Alumni Officer
So many working journalists have been involved in our charity in some way. We have an extensive alumni network and want someone who can ignite the nostalgia of student journalism in now seasoned old hacks and bring them back into the fold. Whether that’s through offering mentoring to our members, asking them to speak at conferences, or just keeping them engaged with the organisation through a newsletter and our LinkedIn network.
Key responsibilities will include:
- Creating and maintaining a network of SPA alumni and ensuring they remain engaged with the SPA, including creating regular newsletters
- Maintaining a contact list of interested SPA alumni to assist with training materials and events
- Working with the comms team to create content involving alumni for our website and social media channels
- Potential to work with the exec and trustees to develop a mentoring scheme
Digital Media Officer
We know most of our 230+ member publications interact with the SPA through digital media, and this year we want to reach more people than ever building on the momentum of our most successful SPANC.
This role is crucial to making sure our members know what we're doing for them and how they can get involved. It would be perfect for anyone interested in social media and online communications.
Key responsibilities will include:
- Playing a key role in managing the SPA's social media accounts and digital tools to ensure a consistent online presence
- Helping to maintain the SPA website
- Sharing the great work from our member publications throughout the country
- Assisting the Executive Committee with the digitisation of projects
Representation Officer
Now in its second year and a permanent fixture after being added to our bye-laws at the 2026 AGM, the Representation Officer's role is to monitor diversity, equality and inclusion across the SPA's work. The role holder will be focused on making sure that what we do is accessible to all of our members, and that we continue to further our commitment to developing a representative and diverse journalism industry.
Key responsibilities will include:
- Monitoring diversity, quality and inclusion across our work, including our event speaker line ups and our awards
- Leading on the SPANC Financial Assistance Scheme
- Assisting our members with any matters relating to diversity and inclusion
Deadline to apply
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