Sunlake High School student Jaya Veerapen earned the All-Florida award for Deadline Illustration at the Florida Scholastic Press Association's fall workshop, the school's student newspaper reported.

Veerapen also won the On the Spot Illustration Contest at the event, held at the USF Marshall Center, according to The Perch, Sunlake's student publication. The All-Florida designation is the highest honor in FSPA competition, requiring a judge's score of 44 to 50, according to the FSPA's contests page. Scores of 38 to 43 earn an Excellent rating, and 25 to 37 earn Honorable Mention.

Veerapen has a passion for drawing and digital arts, The Perch reported. She competed in the FSPA fall contests after entries were due Sept. 18 for the Quick Turn category and Sept. 24 for all other categories, according to the FSPA.

It was her second trip to the FSPA fall workshop. She left early the previous year but stayed for the full event this time, attending more workshops and entering the on-the-spot contests. Her favorite session was "the Hands on Design Practice" workshop, she told The Perch.

Between the two trips, Veerapen was promoted from staffer to design editor at The Perch. Her new role gave her more context for the material covered in the sessions, the paper reported. The added experience helped her better understand and grasp the concepts presented in workshops.

"Design is something I am very passionate about because it allows me to express myself," Veerapen told The Perch.

The FSPA runs journalism competitions for Florida high school students. All-Florida winners are announced at district workshops, and Best of the Best recipients are announced after the final district workshop, according to the organization.

Veerapen said she plans to compete again. She told The Perch she looks forward to trying new contests with different prompts and meeting new people through the program.