Smoky Hills Public Television
BUNKER HILL — Smoky Hills Public Television has announced its annual PBS KIDS Writers Contest, designed to promote the advancement of children’s literacy skills through hands-on, active learning. The Contest empowers children in grades K-3 to celebrate creativity and build literacy skills by writing and illustrating their very own stories.
“SHPTV is committed to helping central and western Kansas children build valuable literacy skills through fun, hands-on opportunities to express their creativity and explore their imagination, said Michael Quade, SHPTV General Manager. “Through providing opportunities for kids to learn and explore through creative writing, Smoky Hills Public Television is making a commitment to its children and their long term success, in school and in life.”
How the Contest Works
The contest is currently underway, and entries can be submitted to SHPTV through March 27, 2015. Smoky Hills Public Television will select local winners and award prizes in the spring of 2015.
The local winners will then be entered into the national contest where 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 prizing courtesy of national prizing sponsor, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and 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 acclaimed writers and producers behind many PBS KIDS programs and prominent illustrators and authors working in the children’s media space. A full list of this year’s national judges will be released in January 2015.
Creative Writing Resources
The Contest is supported by a robust set of resources for children, parents and teachers. Story ideas, 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 http://www.smokyhillstv.org.