PBS KIDS GO! Writers Contest Announces National Winners

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PBS KIDS GO! WRITERS CONTEST ANNOUNCES NATIONAL WINNERS

Twelve finalists selected in national contest by a panel of acclaimed honorary judges

ARLINGTON, VA, July 15, 2013 An honorary panel of judges, including award-winning children's authors Jeff Kinney, Jarrett Krosoczka, R.L. Stine and others, selected twelve children as winners of the national PBS KIDS GO! Writers Contest. The winning entries in the Contest were chosen from thousands of submissions from 62 participating PBS stations across the country.

PBS KIDS and our local stations are honored to support the next generation of creative thinkers with the PBS KIDS GO! Writers Contest, said Lesli Rotenberg, General Manager, Children's Programming, PBS. Writing is a great way for children to improve literacy and vocabulary and to foster creative thinking. Each year we are impressed with the outstanding submissions we receive from young writers and illustrators around the country.

PBS stations collaborated with schools, public libraries and other community-based organizations to present the Contest in local communities. Local winners were entered into the national contest, open to children in grades K-3. The winning entries in each of the Contest categories will be featured on the site, PBSKIDS.org/writerscontest, and visitors can create their own digital stories on the site.

The national winners will be awarded prizes, including tablets, e-readers and MP3 players. Additionally, Highlights for Children has joined the Contest as a new promotional partner and all participants will have the option to receive a print or digital version of Highlights magazine.

The 2013 national winners include:

Kindergarten

1st place: Missing Pants by Vivi Allosso, Bemidji, MN Prairie Public Television

2nd place: I'm Like Abby by Bethany Gilbert, Martinsville, VA UNC-TV

3rd place: A Baby for Jenny by Miriam Sayward, Schuyler, NY Mountain Lake PBS

First Grade

1st place: What do Snowflakes Like to Do? by Blake Lardinois, Bristol, WI MPTV

2nd place: Percy Learns a Lesson by Stephen Denio, Manchester, NH NHPTV

3rd place: Little Possums Big Adventure by Cricket Branstrom, Russell, PA WQED

Second Grade

1st place: Willie and Hannah by Haruka Doi, Pittsburgh, PA WQED

2nd place: The Talking Buckets by Emaan Yusuf, Sugarland, TX Houston PBS

3rd place: Tori's Butterfly by Rebekah Cline, Harvest, AL Alabama Public Television

Third Grade

1st place: Prima Duckarina by Caleigh Gabriel, Fargo, ND Prairie Public

2nd place: When Should I Stop Reading by Ritaj El Ghissassi, Vestal, NY WSKG

3rd place: Puddle Trouble by Darya Baker, Puyallup, WA KBTC

PBS KIDS GO! Writers Contest Honorary Judges

A panel of America's foremost children's authors, illustrators and content experts served as honorary judges for the PBS KIDS GO! Writers Contest. The 2013 honorary judges include:

Lisa Henson: As chief executive officer of The Jim Henson Company, Henson serves as an executive producer of Sid the Science Kid and Dinosaur Train, both currently airing daily on PBS KIDS, and Pajanimals, a musical puppet series airing daily on Sprout.

Jeff Kinney: As a New York Times best-selling author, online game developer and designer, Kinney has been named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World. His seventh book, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel, is the biggest print book of 2012. His book series, with more than 83 million in print worldwide, has been translated into more than 40 languages. He spent his childhood in the Washington, D.C. area and moved to New England in 1995. Kinney lives in southern Massachusetts with his wife and their two sons.

Kate Klimo: An author of numerous books for young people, including the Dragon Keepers series, Klimo lives in Upstate New York with her husband, Harry, three horses, and one grandcat.

Jarrett Krosoczka: Two-time winner of the Third to Fourth Grade Book of the Year in the Children's Choice Book Awards, Krosoczka is author and illustrator of sixteen published books ten picture books and six graphic novels. He has seen his work recommended by national publications like Newsweek, The New York Times and USA Today. His Punk Farm and Lunch Lady series are also in development to be feature films.

Susan Meddaugh: Author and illustrator of Martha Speaks, the best-selling book series, as well as a creative producer of the award-winning PBS KIDS series of the same name, Meddaugh grew up in New Jersey, studied art and illustration, and now lives in Massachusetts with her family including her dogs, of course.

R.L. Stine: As one of the best-selling children's authors in history, Stine has sold over 350 million books that have been read all over the world. His Goosebumps is one of the best-selling children's series of all-time. Stine lives in New York City with his wife, Jane, and his dog, Minnie.

The PBS KIDS Writers Contest was made possible in part by financial support from Easy Student Publishing and managed by member station WNED-TV.

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 StudentPublishing.com

StudentPublishing.com is the school division of Creations by You, and provides award-winning educational publishing products that support educators

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