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.