Regional carry-in contests are ready

Students may begin working on their carry-in contests for the February regional competitions, which kick off Feb. 25 in Emporia, Hays, Manhattan, Pittsburg  and Wichita, then conclude Feb. 26 in Lawrence.

The Regionals page on this Web site also contains a letter to advisers explaining the key details for the carry-in and on-site contests, as well as the photo files necessary to complete the yearbook and newspaper design carry-in contests.

The KSPA state contest is set for May 1 at the University of Kansas in Lawrence.

Here’s a couple of things you can do to make sure your students are ready to do their best:

• If haven’t already, renew your membership in KSPA. Without a membership, your students will not be able to compete. Here’s the form you’ll need.
• Enter your students’ work in the Photo of the Month and Story of the Month competitions, both of which use regional and state criteria for judging. Winners’ work is posted on the Web site. The next deadline is Jan. 29 for news stories (and event stories for yearbook) and all photo categories: news/event, news feature, sports action and sports feature. Here’s the contest form.
• Peruse the “Simply Better” document, 37 pages that highlight all the 2009 state winners in every class and in every category. “Simply Better” is available in its full form only to members, but here’s a short sample to whet your appetite.

Members should check their past e-mails for their copy of “Simply Better” (as an attached PDF). If you’d like a CD of the document, simply send an e-mail to staff@kspaonline.org with that request and a CD version of “Simply Better” will be burned and mailed to you.

Maize HS photographer wins September contest

[View with PicLens]

Freshman Taylor Hall of Maize High School has won the first KSPA Photo of the Month contest, which included 32 entries taken by students in September.

Of all the entries, Hayes was praised by the judges at the University of Kansas: “You’ve captured a lot of emotion, even though we didn’t see his entire face. It’s a little soft on the focus, but not to the point that it’s distracting. The other two players frame him nicely and make him stand out even more.”

Other entries that won awards and that judges singled out for praise:

• Best Feature: Sarah Vanier, Salina Central High School: “This image is really strong. Way to bring all the action into the frame.”
• Best News Photo: Jarah Cooper, Salina Central High School: “You captured the moment very well.”
• Best Sports Action: Hannah Williams, Shawnee Mission Northwest High School: “Looks like there is another player holding onto No. 12. Awesome. Motion blur didn’t take away from the overall quality.”
• Best Sports Feature: Eva Roebuck, Shawnee Mission North: “Solid framing.”

The October contest is inclusive of photos taken Oct. 1 through Oct. 30, and the postmark (or e-mail) deadline is Oct. 30. Find the entry forms here.

KSPA will announce the winners of the September Story of the Month contest for editorials later this week. The October Story of the Month contest covers feature stories. It also has an Oct. 30 deadline.

Monthly competitions help students hone skills

KSPA is expanding its traditional “Story of the Month” competition to include monthly photo contests.

The new Photo of the Month contest builds on what was just a single contest to encourage student photojournalists to submit photos every month for judging and recognition.

Story of the Month categories now look like this, with these deadlines:

• Editorial, Sept. 30, 2009
• Feature Story, Oct. 30, 2009
• News, Nov. 30, 2009
• Sports, Jan. 29, 2010
• Column/Review, Feb. 26, 2010
• Page Design (Newspaper or News Magazine), March 31, 2010
• Page Design (Yearbook), April 30, 2010

The rules for the Story of the Month:

• Limit two entries per school per month. (Yearbook copy is acceptable if it falls into category.)
• Fee is $5 per entry. (Send newspaper clip, copy of yearbook page layout or online printout.)
• Schools may pre-pay for two entries each month for the year at $70.
  • You may combine pre-payment with pre-payment for Photo of the Month contest, which is also $70 for the year, for a total of $140.
  • Payment options are on the bottom of the second page.
• All judging will be done by University of Kansas School of Journalism faculty.

The Photo of the Month contest is not delineated by category, but by deadline and month taken. Thus, all September photographs will be of school activities, sports, personalities, etc., from September. Photos need not be published in that month because KSPA understands that many photos will eventually be published in a yearbook. Photos must have been taken in the month of the contest, however.

Here are the Photo of the Month deadlines (postmark deadlines):

• Photo #1, Sept. 30, 2009
• Photo #2, Oct. 30, 2009
• Photo #3, Nov. 30, 2009
• Photo #4, Jan. 29, 2010
• Photo #5, Feb. 26, 2010
• Photo #6, March 31, 2010
• Photo #7, April 30, 2010

Here are the Photo of the Month rules:

• Photo categories are by month, not by subject.
  • Photos may be on any topic, but must have been taken in the month of submission.
  • Photos must have been published or must be intended for future publication (in school newspaper, news magazine, yearbook or online)
• Limit two entries per school per month, one per photographer, per month
• Entry fee $5 per entry.
• Schools may pre-pay for two entries each month for the year at $70.
  • You may also combine pre-payment with pre-payment for Story of the Month contest, which is also $70 for the year, for a total of $140.
  • Payment options at the bottom of this page.
• All judging will be done by University of Kansas School of Journalism faculty.

You may download the entry form here.

All entries must be mailed to:

KSPA Monthly Contests

c/o Jeff Browne, KSPA Director

Stauffer-Flint Hall

1435 Jayhawk Blvd.

University of Kansas

Lawrence, KS 66045-7575