PBS KIDS WRITERS CONTEST ANNOUNCES NATIONAL WINNERS
ARLINGTON, VA/MOLINE, IL - Twelve children in grades K-3 were selected as winners by an acclaimed panel of judges in the PBS KIDS Writers Contest this year. The winning entries in the Contest were chosen from thousands of submissions from 62 participating PBS stations across the country. Paul Schwartz, a third grader from Bettendorf, IA, who partnered with WQPT- Quad Cities PBS, won third place in this grade category.
"This is the third time that one of our local winners has gone on to win on the national level," said WQPT General Manager Mary Pruess. "We are very proud Paul Schwartz of Bettendorf and his story 'If I Were An Engineer' and of all of the 450 entries we received. A special thanks to all of the parents, caregivers and teachers who encouraged the creativity of our young writers."
"We were thrilled to see another impressive batch of submissions for the annual PBS KIDS Writers Contest," said Lesli Rotenberg, General Manager, Children's Programming, PBS. "PBS KIDS and our local stations always enjoy encouraging children to use their imaginations to create memorable stories. We look forward to supporting the next generation of creative thinkers as they develop important writing skills that will lay the foundation of success in both school and life."
PBS stations throughout the country collaborated with schools, public libraries and other community-based organizations to present the PBS KIDS Writers Contest in local communities. Local winners were entered into the national contest, where a panel of esteemed judges ranked the top 12 entries. The national winners and their winning stories are featured on pbskids.org/writerscontest.
The national winners will receive prizes courtesy of national prizing sponsor, LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc. Winners will receive a prize package that will include LeapFrog's award-winning LeapReader Reading and Writing System along with educator-developed LeapReader books, maps and more to help children on every step of their reading and writing journey.
The 2014 national winners include :
Kindergarten
1st place: "Grandpa Pig's Pizza" by Nikolai Nawrocki, Wayne, PA - WQED
2nd place: "Bill's Hat is Very Stuck" by Karsten Eckhoff, Stover, MO - KMOS
3rd place: "The Secret Alligator Key" by Inaaya Sethi, Binghamton, NY - WSKG
First Grade
1st place: "Once Upon a Pencil" by Ethan Mattocks, Guys Mills, PA - WQLN
2nd place: "A Survival Guide to South Dakota" by Samuel Ellenbecker, Cascade, WI - MPTV
3rd place: "The Colors I Feel" by Joshua Kafumbe, Middlebury, VT - Vermont Public Television
Second Grade
1st place: "Eric's Job" by Oniana Boulware, Las Vegas, NV - Vegas PBS
2nd place: "Rosy Helps Kathy Catch Her Bus" by Michelle Kang, Annandale, VA - Community Idea Stations
3rd place: "Seeds from Space" by Connor Smith, Pittsburgh, PA - WQED
Third Grade
1st place: "A Humble Book of Poems" by Jishnu Dey, Dover, NH - New Hampshire Public Television
2nd place: "My Special Granddaddy" by Mollie Hensley, Mebane, NC - UNC-TV
3rd place: "If I Were An Engineer..." by Paul Schwartz, Bettendorf, IA - WQPT, Quad Cities PBS
PBS KIDS Writers Contest Honorary Judges
A panel of America's leading children's writers, producers, and media creators served as honorary judges for the PBS KIDS Writers Contest this year. The 2014 honorary judges include :
- Billy Aronson, creator, PEG + CAT
- Jeff Kinney, author (Diary of a Wimpy Kid series), online game developer and designer
- Martin Kratt, creator and co-executive producer, WILD KRATTS
- Chris Kratt, creator and co-executive producer, WILD KRATTS
- Joseph Mazzarino, head writer, director and puppeteer, SESAME STREET
- Jennifer Oxley, creator, PEG + CAT
- Bob Staake, author (THE DONUT CHEF, HELLO ROBOTS)
- Vince Vawter, author (PAPERBOY)
The PBS KIDS Writers Contest is made possible through national promotional support from Highlights for Children. The Contest is produced by PBS and based on the Reading Rainbow Young Writers and Illustrators Contest, a concept developed by WNED-TV, Buffalo.
WQPT is a media service of Western Illinois University.
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