KSPA offers monthly contests and also regional contests for students in Kansas. It offers visual categories and writing contests. Journalism teacher Kit Harris has students from his journalism class do the regional contest every year. 

“It’s a good chance for the students to not only experience some journalism projects, photos, editing, and writing but also do it in a competitive way and I think it helps push them to try to do their best work and put a lot of effort into their end result,” Harris said.

The visual categories offer sixteen categories that allow the contestants to create photographs, videos, multimedia, designs, and illustrations. The writing categories have nine categories that include copyediting, feature writing, and cutline writing. KSPA provides the contestants with all the information they need for the writing contests.

“I don’t think I personally have a favorite category,” Harris said. “Obviously kids sometimes have their favorites whether it be photography or designing, but I like them all equally because I think they challenge students and each of them are different.”

“It was really cool to have a time limit on what you’re doing and just sort of go with the flow and figure out how to put a story together that everybody has the same prompt of and you just have to try to be creative,” Bailey Smith said.

BHS has had many first place winners over the years and have been pretty successful in the competition.

“I bet we have at least five that have been first place and probably have fifty or more that have placed in the state competition,” Harris said.