diff --git a/src/db.rs b/src/db.rs
index ea1e19f..088f833 100644
--- a/src/db.rs
+++ b/src/db.rs
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ impl std::fmt::Display for AnnouncementFlag {
 pub struct Announcement {
     pub id: i64,
     pub author: String,
-    pub text_content: String,
+    pub text_content: Option<String>,
     pub start_date: String,
     pub end_date: String,
     pub created_at: String,
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ pub fn open(db_path: &str) -> Result<Connection> {
         "CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS announcements (
             id          INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
             author      TEXT NOT NULL,
-            text_content TEXT NOT NULL,
+            text_content TEXT,
             start_date  TEXT NOT NULL,
             end_date    TEXT NOT NULL,
             flags       TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT '[]',
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ pub fn count_all(conn: &Connection, filter_date: Option<&str>) -> Result<u64> {
 pub fn create(
     conn: &Connection,
     author: &str,
-    text_content: &str,
+    text_content: Option<&str>,
     start_date: &str,
     end_date: &str,
     flags: &[AnnouncementFlag],
diff --git a/src/management/mod.rs b/src/management/mod.rs
index 999b4a2..07e7f4c 100644
--- a/src/management/mod.rs
+++ b/src/management/mod.rs
@@ -109,11 +109,16 @@ async fn management_page(
                     })
                     .collect::<Vec<_>>()
                     .join(" ");
+                let text_display = a
+                    .text_content
+                    .as_ref()
+                    .map(|t| escape_html(t))
+                    .unwrap_or_else(|| "—".to_string());
                 format!(
                     include_str!("../../templates/announcement_row.html"),
                     id = a.id,
                     author = escape_html(&a.author),
-                    text = escape_html(&a.text_content),
+                    text = text_display,
                     start = a.start_date,
                     end = a.end_date,
                     flags_display = flags_display,
@@ -236,7 +241,7 @@ fn render_pagination(current: u32, total: u32, count: u64, filter_param: &str) -
 #[derive(Deserialize)]
 struct CreateInput {
     author: String,
-    text_content: String,
+    text_content: Option<String>,
     start_date: String,
     end_date: String,
     #[serde(default, deserialize_with = "one_or_many")]
@@ -258,8 +263,10 @@ async fn create_announcement(
         .filter_map(|s| s.parse::<AnnouncementFlag>().ok())
         .collect();
 
+    let text = input.text_content.filter(|s| !s.is_empty());
+
     let conn = db.lock().await;
-    if let Err(e) = db::create(&conn, &input.author, &input.text_content, &input.start_date, &input.end_date, &flags) {
+    if let Err(e) = db::create(&conn, &input.author, text.as_deref(), &input.start_date, &input.end_date, &flags) {
         return (
             StatusCode::INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR,
             [("location", "/")],
diff --git a/templates/management_page.html b/templates/management_page.html
index 15c02f3..8f50c00 100644
--- a/templates/management_page.html
+++ b/templates/management_page.html
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@
                 </label>
                 <label>
                     Text
-                    <textarea name="text_content" placeholder="Announcement text&hellip;" required></textarea>
+                    <textarea name="text_content" placeholder="Announcement text&hellip;"></textarea>
                 </label>
                 <label>
                     Start date