State Convention
Registration is NOW OPEN for the 2026 OSMA State Convention!
April 24-25, 2026 at Kent State University
Dates and Rates:
Registration closes on April 3, 2026. OSMA cannot accommodate for any changes in registration numbers made after that date due to catering deadlines.
Register now by clicking this link.
We are continuing to expand our Saturday morning programming. And new this year: we will be renting out space at Kent Lanes bowling alley after the Friday evening banquet. Plan to stick around after the banquet, stay overnight at an area hotel, and join us for Day 2 if possible!
Cost:
$50/attendee, includes daytime sessions, catered awards banquet on Friday evening and all Saturday programming.
$60/attendee, includes all of the above plus Friday evening bowling at Kent Lanes
$30/attendee, includes Friday sessions only – no awards banquet, Friday evening bowling, or Saturday programming.
All participating schools must have a current OSMA membership.
Friday – April 24, 2026
Franklin Hall
- 10:30 a.m.- 1 p.m. – Registration
- 11:00-11:45 a.m. – Session 1
- 12:00-12:45 p.m. – Session 2
- 1:00-1:45 p.m. – Session 3
- 2:00-2:45 p.m. – Session 4
- 3:00-3:45 – Session 5
- 4:00-4:45 – Session 6
Kent State Student Center Ballroom
- 5:00 p.m. Banquet doors open
- 5:30 p.m. Welcome and dinner
- 6:30 p.m. – Keynote speaker
- 7:00 p.m. Awards ceremony
- 9:00 p.m. Bowling at Kent Lanes
Saturday – April 25, 2026
Franklin Hall
- Saturday Sessions will be student-led and focused on engagement between schools. Students will be able to meet with each other to problem solve, brainstorm, and share their experiences in a meaningful way.
- 9:00-9:45 a.m. – Session 7
- 10:00-10:45 a.m. – Session 8
- 11:00-11:45 a.m. – Session 9
Highlights include:
A huge variety of learning sessions, everything from writing to photography, photography to broadcast, print to social media, journalism to public relations to film. That’s Friday afternoon. We’ll send you a draft program at least a week before the convention.
Then, Friday evening we’ll host the banquet. Enjoy a buffet with plenty to eat, a keynoter you will enjoy (name to be released in late March), and a chance to receive kudos for what went well and suggestions on how to keep improving your student media. Your publication’s name — and YOURS — can be up on the screen at the awards banquet so everyone can cheer.
If you can, stay the night and return for even more programming on Saturday. We are planning to create authentic opportunities for you to interact with other journalism programs to share ideas, collaborate, and problem solve. Plan for hands-on sessions that help you with exactly what you need to finish off the school year and hit the ground running in August.
Be sure you have a current membership and be sure to enter the contests/critiques by this year’s deadline. The OSMA annual membership costs $100 for your school, and it covers the cost of entries from all your student media. You can pay in person at the convention or ahead of time by check.
Interested in speaking at the convention? This year’s Speaker Proposal Form closes on March 27, so be sure to fill it out with any proposed speaker sessions. We will contact all speakers and arrange the details shortly after the window closes.
QUESTIONS? email Julieanne McClain [email protected]