Sharpen Your Pencils for the PBS KIDS GO! Writers Contest
Thanks to the support of the Virginia College Savings Plan and Studentpublishing.com, the PBS KIDS GO! Writers Contest is now underway. All contest entries must be received by March 23, 2012. Since the only thing better than reading a good story is writing one, the Community Idea Stations are looking for your original stories. Open to kids in grades K-3, each entry must be an original work – written and illustrated by the entrant. Stories can be fact or fiction, prose or poetry – and each grade level will be judged separately.
Because the goal of the contest is to encourage, challenge and reward effort, every child who submits an original story will be recognized for their participation with a Certificate of Achievement.
The WCVE PBS/WCVW PBS Rules, Entry Form, and a Writers Guide are available to download now (PDFs):
Entry Form | Contest Rules | Writers Guide
Read more about the PBS KIDS GO! Writers Contest here.
Want to see stories from other Contest years to get ideas? You can see all stories from previous years, going back to 2001, by visiting Story Central. Take a look at the national winners and think about your own favorite stories. What do they have in common? It seems they all have things like:
- a beginning, middle, and end
- a central event like a conflict or discovery
- characters who change or learn a lesson
- illustrations that help tell the tale
Looking for the WHTJ PBS (Charlottesville) contest entry forms? Visit here.
As a voracious reader, I will be looking forward to all of your entries.
Wondering if it is true that there needs to be at least 5 illustrations per entry? Also, where should their names go?
Thank you!
Yes, as the rules indicate, there needs to be a minimum of 5 "original, clear, and colorful illustrations." The most common mistakes made when submitting the stories are not having the required number of illustrations, not adhering to the word count, and not putting the stories on one side of the paper with page numbers on the back. Don't forget to check, then double-check, that all rules have been followed to prevent disqualification. Although not specified, in the past the authors names have been included on the front cover along with the title. I'm excited to receive your child's entry. Good luck!
Hi Kathy - yes, each entry must include "5 original, clear, and colorful illustrations," note that participants have some flexibility in what constitutes an illustration.
The rules don't specify regarding the placement of the name, but each entry must be accompanied by the official entry form with the child's name and the parent's (and/or teacher's) signature(s).
Here's a link to the rules
And here's a link to the official entry form.
Hope this helps.
Ami Kim
Social Media Manager
The contest is always exciting to us, as well! It's a terrific way to encourage aspiring writers to keep writing...and to showcase the talents of young people across central Virginia. Indeed, good luck to everyone!
Is there anything like this for older kids? My daughter is in 4th grade and loves to write stories.
There are many writing contests open to kids of all ages...but they are not affiliated with PBS. Just "Google" writing contests for young writers and you'll see a myriad of available contests.
Specifically, the PBS KIDS GO! Writers Contest, which is produced by PBS, is only open to kids in grades K-3 because the PBS children's programming aligns with the curriculum framework for preschool through grade 3.
As a writer myself, I am happy to see you encourage your daughter's love of writing. Good luck to her!
Are the children required to print the text or may it be dictated?
Yes, children who cannot write may dictate their original story to be printed, written legibly or typed. To download the complete rules -- as well as an entry form and writers guide -- please see the article above. Good luck!
Writers Contest PDFs (entry form, rules, writers guide) are not downloading!
Hello,
I just tested the links and they are working. Possibly a pop-up block is preventing them from loading. I will send them to you in a separate email however.
Thanks.
Post new comment