KSPA Awards Information
If it’s one thing KSPA loves to do, it’s recognize the very best of our member students, staffs and advisers. The KSPA Prize Patrol made the rounds to schools last week to surprise our winners and here are the results!
Congratulations: Sunflower Award: Jared Shuff, Lawrence Free State High School; Ad Astra Award: Heather Springer, Olathe South High School; Administrator of the Year: Dr. Ryan Flurry, Shawnee Mission School District CTE director; Friend of KSPA: John Kelley, Walsworth Yearbooks; KSPA Hall of Fame inductees: Becky Tate, Shawnee Mission North and Kathy Habiger, Mill Valley High School. Special recognition to the winner of the Mary Patrick Aspiring Young Journalist winner: Jalynn Chan, Andover Middle School.
KSPA All Kansas awards
Congratulations to the following KSPA-member staffs for earning All-Kansas status for their news publications, news websites and video news publications during the 2024-2025 academic years. The All-Kansas award is the highest rating a publication can earn in KSPA’s critique service. Winners represent the best of the best in Kansas scholastic journalism. This year, our judges critiqued a total of 21 news publications, 12 news websites and 2 video news publications. Each All-Kansas school earns an All-Kansas Plaque. Plaques will be awarded at the State Celebration on May 3.
Portfolio of the Year Contest
The Kansas Scholastic Press Association will recognize the best individuals in Kansas scholastic journalism in four different categories based on their submitted portfolios. These contests — in design, photojournalism, video and reporting — are open to any student journalist on a staff with a current KSPA membership. Congratulations to the 2025 overall winners: Writer of the Year: Michael Yi, Shawnee Mission East; Photojournalist of the Year: Anders Benson, Lawrence Free State; Designer of the Year: Avery Clement, Mill Valley; Video Journalist of the Year: Katelyn Coffey, Maize Career Academy
Click here to see portfolios of all the winners.
2025 State Contest information
And that’s a wrap on the state contest for 2025. All entries are in the hands of the 70 judges who are volunteering their time and expertise to select the winners in this year’s contest. The State Celebration adviser breakfast and awards ceremony is Saturday, May 3. Advisers can still register by April 18.
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Providing support and leadership in scholastic journalism
The Kansas Scholastic Press Association is composed of Kansas scholastic journalism students and their teachers. The organization is committed to excellence in journalism at all levels and views its focus as one of providing journalism education leadership for Kansas teachers and students. The KSPA provides a support system through its contests, conferences and scheduled activities.
Our Stories. Our Voices. Our Freedom.
Kansas students have extraordinary free expression rights, thanks to a landmark law passed in 1992. Students and teachers can learn about their rights and how the law was made in this documentary, produced by KSPA.
Watch it now._
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