All-Kansas

KSPA offers All-Kansas critiques and ratings services for yearbooks, newspapers and news magazines. Starting in 2011, KSPA plans to introduce All-Kansas services for online news and broadcast entities.

In addition, KSPA works with the Kansas Professional Communicators on the All-Kansas Write-Off competition every spring.

All-Kansas Newspaper/News Magazine Service

Newspapers and news magazines from high schools and middle schools across the state may now sign up for the All-Kansas critique service and competition for 2010.

The cost, as it was last year, is $50. Deadline is March 5, 2010. Registration requires downloading this interactive PDF and sending it with payment and three copies of your publication to the address on the form.

As it has for the last 20-plus years, KSPA offers its student journalists and advisers an opportunity to both learn about their publication’s strengths and weaknesses, and measure themselves against other publications from around the state.

The All-Kansas service is, first and foremost, a critique service. Your publication will be sent to a nationally recognized journalism educator outside Kansas who will provide a thorough critique of the publication, noting what worked, what didn’t, and how every area of the paper or magazine might be improved. You will receive those critiques by the end of this school year so that you can use it as a teaching guide in preparation for summer workshops and for next year’s publication.

Here is the 2008-2009 evaluation guide. The 2009-2010 guide will be posted in February. While the new guide won’t substantially differ from this year’s guide, there will be questions that allow more flexibility in coverage if a publication has a corresponding Web site that complements coverage in the paper or magazine.

Secondly, All-Kansas ranks newspapers and news magazines from around the state by class. The best 1A newspapers will be competing against each other, as will 2A, 3A, 4A, 5A, and 6A publications. There’s also a category for junior high/middle school publications. Publications who request it will be ranked from All-Kansas to Award of Merit to Award of Commendation based on their relative strengths. School may opt out of the ranking service, should they choose.

Announcement of All-Kansas newspapers and news magazines will be made at the state contest, May 1, in Lawrence.

All-Kansas Yearbook

Nineteen 2009 Kansas yearbooks earned All-Kansas distinction this year in the annual critique service and contest.

The schools that earned All-Kansas honors are (click on the link beneath the list to see a map of the All-Kansas schools):

Class 1A

• Goessel High School

Class 2A

• Chase County High School
• Stanton County High School

Class 3A

• Ellsworth High School
• Norton High School
• Phillipsburg High School
• Rock Creek High School
• Sterling High School

Class 4A

• Andover High School
• Buhler High School
• Ottawa High School

Class 5A

• Kapaun Mount Carmel Catholic High School
• Mill Valley High School

Class 6A

• Blue Valley West High School
• Maize High School
• Shawnee Mission East High School
• Shawnee Mission North High School
• Shawnee Mission Northwest High School
• Shawnee Mission West High School

View All-Kansas Yearbook Map in a larger map

Maize South Middle School students earned All-Kansas honors with their 2009 yearbook.

All-Kansas Write-Off Competition

The Kansas Professional Communicators and KSPA are happy to work together again this year to sponsor the 2010 All-Kansas Write-Off competition.

The All-Kansas Write-Off allows student journalists to compete in 24 categories. Categories eligible for national competition are editorial, opinion, news story, feature story, sports story, columns, feature photo, sports photo, cartooning, review, graphics, single-page layout, double-truck layout, environment.

Three new national categories are video news story, video feature story and video sports story.

The All-Kansas Write-Off also offers categories for statewide competition only. These are yearbook categories of double-page spread, copy writing and photography, as well as desktop categories of informational graphic or chart, feature headline and logo.

You can read more about the contest and enter by downloading this PDF. The entry form is on page 4.

Experienced judges who know the educational benefits of constructive criticism evaluate the entries. Our goal? Helpful, easy-to-understand comments on each entry.

At the state level, first, second and third place winners are selected, as well as honorable mention. All first-place winners in national categories are forwarded for competition in the National Federation of
Press Women High School Communications Competition.

General requirements for entries:

• Entries must be the work of students enrolled in Grades 9-12 during the current school year or the last semester of the senior year for students’ work published after the current deadline.
• All work must have been completed between March 1, 2009, and Jan. 31, 2010.
• Students may submit one entry per category (except where a category requires multiple samples); students are welcome to enter as many categories as they wish. Students should decide which category best fits, as each piece may only be entered in one category.
• Publication in a high school or community newspaper, printed and/or electronic (online) is eligible; entries created for school television or online broadcast are eligible for video categories.
• For printed publications, submit two tear sheets (the entire page on which the article or graphic appears) for each entry (including two copies of each of three columns in the personal column category); either an original or a photocopy is fine. For online publications, submit two copies of the article including the URL and date of publication. For televised or online video, submit a DVD with the entry. In the column category, submit three entries, two consecutive and any third one.
• On print entries, indicate which article or photo is to be considered by circling it with a marker or highlighter.
• Submit an actual black-and-white photograph for the yearbook photography competition but also provide the required published copy of the photograph. Judging is based on composition, not the reproduction of the photograph in the newspaper.
• Cartoon and desktop publishing entries that illustrate stories, features, photo packages or theme concepts must include additional support materials. For an informational chart, or feature headline, also send a photocopy of the related story and/or photograph. In addition to a logo send a photocopy of its yearbook cover or division page. This will help ensure relevant, equitable evaluation. Stand-alone informational charts need no supplemental materials.
• If an entry is the work of more than one student, all names should be on the entry form. An entry with co-authors counts as a single entry for each student. Neither student may submit an additional entry in that same category.
• Entry forms and student work should be paper-clipped together — NO staples, sleeves or binders, please!
• Contest fees cost $5 for each entry for KSPA member schools and $7 per entry for non-member schools.
• All entries must be postmarked on or before Friday, Feb. 5, 2010, and mailed to All-Kansas Write-Off, c/o Linda Drake, P.O. Box 356, Cottonwood Falls, KS 66845. If desired, include a self-addressed postcard to verify entries were received by the deadline.
• Address questions to Linda Drake at the address above, (620) 273-6700 (home) or (620) 273-6354 (school), or Gwendolynne Larson, The Emporia Gazette, P.O. Drawer C, Emporia, KS 66801, (620) 342-4841 Ext. 219 (work) or (620) 443-5052 (home).
• The contest coordinator reserves the right to disqualify entries for rule violations, including multiple entries in a single contest category, entries with tampered dates, etc. Improperly submitted entries will be disqualified and entry fees will NOT be refunded. Entries that are not legible will also be disqualified, so please type or print clearly.