Kids in Grades K-3 Encouraged to Submit Original Stories for National Contest
Arlington, VA, January 29, 2015 – Today, PBS KIDS announced its annual PBS KIDS Writers Contest, designed to promote the advancement of children’s literacy skills through hands-on, active learning. The contest is open to children in kindergarten, first, second and third grades and encourages creative thinking and storytelling, while building literacy skills through the creation and illustration of original stories.
“PBS KIDS is committed to encouraging children to reach their full potential, both in school and in life,” said Lesli Rotenberg, General Manager, Children’s Programming, PBS. “Research shows that creative writing can enhance and improve a child’s literacy development and self confidence. The PBS KIDS Writers Contest allows kids to experience the hands-on process of developing their own stories and illustrations, encouraging their creativity and imagination, all while building key academic skills such as grammar and syntax.”
How the Contest Works
PBS stations throughout the country will collaborate with schools, public libraries and other community-based organizations to present the PBS KIDS Writers Contest in local communities. Each station will select local winners and award prizes.
The local winners will then be entered into the national contest, and a panel of esteemed judges will rank the top 12 entries. National winners will be announced during the summer of 2015, and the winning stories will be featured on pbskids.org/writerscontest.
The national winners will receive prize packages including ARTHUR® books courtesy of national prizing sponsor, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and a personal technology device courtesy of PBS. The PBS KIDS Writers Contest is produced by PBS and based on the Reading Rainbow® Young Writers and Illustrators Contest, a concept developed by WNED-TV, Buffalo.
National Judges
This year’s panel of national judges includes the following acclaimed writers, producers and children’s media creators:
- Billy Aronson, creator, PEG + CAT
- Marc Brown, author and illustrator, ARTHUR book series
- Lisa Henson, chief executive officer, THE JIM HENSON COMPANY
- Martin Kratt, creator and co-executive producer, WILD KRATTS
- Chris Kratt, creator and co-executive producer, WILD KRATTS
- Tim McKeon, creator, co-executive producer and head writer, ODD SQUAD
- Jennifer Oxley, creator, PEG + CAT
- Adam Peltzman, creator, co-executive producer and writer, ODD SQUAD
- Angela Santomero, creator, executive producer and head writer, DANIEL TIGER'S NEIGHBORHOOD & SUPER WHY
To learn more about the judging panel, visit pbskids.org/writerscontest.
Creative Writing Resources
To help young writers get started, PBS KIDS offers a robust set of resources for children, parents and teachers. Story ideas and activity sheets, along with the previous winning entries, are available on the contest website to inspire children during the brainstorming process. PBS LearningMedia is also offering a collection of online teacher resources for use in classrooms nationwide.
To enter the contest and for more information on entry rules and contest resources, visit pbskids.org/writerscontest or your local PBS station website.
About PBS KIDS
PBS KIDS, the number one educational media brand for kids, offers all children the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television, online, mobile and community-based programs. Kidscreen- and Webby-award winning pbskids.org provides engaging interactive content, including the PBS KIDS video player, now offering free streaming video accessible on computer- and mobile-device-based browsers. For more information on specific PBS KIDS content supporting literacy, science, math and more, visit pbs.org/pressroom, or follow PBS KIDS on Twitter and Facebook.
About WNED
Through WNED-TV, ThinkBright and Well/WORLD TV, WBFO-FM 88.7 and Classical 94.5 WNED, member-supported WNED|WBFO provides high-quality programming and services to local, regional and national audiences that enlighten, inspire, entertain and educate Western New York and Southern Ontario communities. Additional information about WNED|WBFO can be found at wned.org
About Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers is a division of Hachette Book Group (HBG), a leading trade publisher based in New York and a division of Hachette Livre, the third-largest publisher in the world. HBG publishes under the divisions of Little, Brown and Company, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, Grand Central Publishing, Orbit, Hachette Nashville, and Hachette Digital. For more information, visit hbgusa.com
Contact
Atiya Frederick, PBS; 703.739.5147; anfrederick@pbs.org
Meredith Gandy, 360PR; 646.568.3238; mgandy@360pr.com
