PBS Kids Go! Writers Contest

WQED PITTSBURGH ANNOUNCES ANNUAL PBS KIDS GO! WRITERS CONTEST 

Pittsburgh Area Kids in Grades K-3 Encouraged to Submit Original Stories

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

 January 10, 2013

 

CONTACT:

 George Hazimanolis

 412-622-1366

 ghazimanolis@wqed.org

 

Maria Pisano

 412-622-1459

 mpisano@wqed.org

 

WQED PITTSBURGH ANNOUNCES ANNUAL PBS KIDS GO! WRITERS CONTEST 

Pittsburgh Area Kids in Grades K-3 Encouraged to Submit Original Stories

 

PITTSBURGH – Today, WQED announced its annual PBS KIDS GO! Writers Contest, designed to promote the advancement of children’s literacy skills through hands-on, active learning. Also partnering with WQED this year are Penn State Public Broadcasting (WPSU) which serves central Pennsylvania and West Virginia Public Broadcasting (WVPB). The Contest, made possible by financial support from EQT Corporation, encourages children in grades K-3 to celebrate creativity by submitting their own original stories and illustrations.

 

“WQED is committed to providing fun opportunities for Pittsburgh-area kids to express their creativity,” said Deborah L. Acklin, President and CEO, WQED. “The PBS KIDS GO! Writers Contest helps children across southwestern Pennsylvania and beyond to build valuable literacy skills for success in school and life.”

 

How the Contest Works

Beginning January 14, 2013, children in southwestern and central Pennsylvania, as well as throughout West Virginia, can submit their entries to the PBS KIDS GO! Writers Contest. WQED will select local winners and award prizes, including the opportunity to record their winning story to be broadcast on Saturday Light Brigade (SLB) Radio in the spring of 2013.

 

WQED will send its list of winners to the national contest where a panel of esteemed judges will rank the top 12 entries. National winners will be announced during the summer of 2013 and the winning stories will be featured on pbskids.org/writerscontest.

 

The national winners will receive 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. In 2012, two students from WQED’s regional contest were recognized as 2nd place winners in the national Contest. To learn more about these and all of WQED’s past winners click here.

 

Contest Kick-Off Events

 WQED will host several kick-off events for the PBS KIDS GO! Writers Contest in January:

 

• Wednesday, January 16

 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.

 Squirrel Hill Carnegie Library

 5801 Forbes Avenue

 Pittsburgh, PA 15217

 100 students from Pittsburgh Colfax K-8 and St. Edmund’s Academy will join their teachers and the public for: a video expose from the 2012 contest winners; story teller Sydell Pearl; PBS costume character Curious George; and eight literacy learning stations.

 

• Wednesday, January 30

 10 a.m. – Noon

 Hill District Carnegie Library

 2177 Centre Avenue

 Pittsburgh, PA 15219

 80 students from Pittsburgh Weil PreK-8 will join their teachers and the public for: a video expose from the 2012 contest winners; story teller Sydell Pearl; PBS costume character; and eight literacy learning stations.

 

PBS KIDS GO! Writers Contest Honorary Judges

 A panel of America's foremost children's authors, illustrators and content experts will serve 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 bestselling 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 has over 83 million in print worldwide, translated into more than 40 languages. He spent his childhood in the Washington, D.C., area and moved to New England in 1995. Jeff lives in southern Massachusetts with his wife and their two sons.

 

• Kate Klimo: As Vice President and Publisher of the Random House/Golden Books Group, she has been responsible for extending the Seuss brand into new formats including board and novelty books, and publishing non-fiction celebrations of Dr. Seuss's life and works. Klimo has nearly 30 years of experience at Random House; more than 15 of them spent working on All Things Seuss. She is also the production executive of The Cat in the Hat Knows A Lot About That! Kate is the author of many books for young readers, including 12 titles in the Cat in the Hat's Learning Library series. She has also written for young adults (The Centauriad Series) and has a new series for children, Dog Diaries, launching in January 2013.

 

• Jarrett Krosoczka: Two-time winner of the Third to Fourth Grade Book of the Year in the Children’s Choice Book Awards, author and illustrator for 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. Susan 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, he has sold over 350 million books that have been read all over the world including Goosebumps - one of the best-selling children’s series of all-time. R.L. lives in New York City with his wife Jane and his dog Minnie.

 

Creative Writing Resources

 The Contest is supported by a robust set of resources for children, parents and teachers. Story ideas, activity sheets, and 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 www.writeonkids.org.

 

About WQED Pittsburgh

 WQED Pittsburgh has a proud history of honors, including 134 National and Mid-Atlantic Emmy® Awards, an Academy Award, and many, many others, including two Emmy® Awards for Station Excellence. WQED was founded in 1954 as the nation’s first community-supported broadcaster. The people of WQED create, produce and distribute quality programs, products and services to engage, inform, educate and entertain the public within their community and around the world. It is the parent company of WQED-TV (PBS); WQED: The Neighborhood Channel; WQED: The Create Channel; WQED Showcase; Classical WQED-FM 89.3/Pittsburgh; Classical WQEJ-FM 89.7/Johnstown; the Pittsburgh Concert Channel at WQED-HD2 (89.3-2FM) and online at www.wqed.org/fm; local and national television and radio productions; WQED Interactive (www.wqed.org) and iQ: smartmedia, WQED’s Educational initiative (www.wqed.org/edu)

 

About EQT Corporation

 EQT Corporation is an integrated energy company with emphasis on Appalachian area natural gas production, gathering, transmission, and distribution. EQT is the general partner and majority equity owner of EQT Midstream Partners, LP. With more than 120 years of experience, EQT continues to be a leader in the use of advanced horizontal drilling technology – designed to minimize the potential impact of drilling-related activities and reduce the overall environmental footprint. Through safe and responsible operations, the Company is committed to meeting the country’s growing demand for clean-burning energy, while continuing to provide a rewarding workplace and enrich the communities where its employees live and work. Company shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange as EQT. Visit EQT Corporation at www.EQT.com.

 

About Penn State Public Broadcasting

 Penn State Public Broadcasting serves central Pennsylvania with programming, educational services and community outreach. Its public media services produce, acquire and distribute programs that address local interests and reflect the diverse cultural, political, geographic and demographic characteristics of an audience within central Pennsylvania.

 

About West Virginia Public Broadcasting

West Virginia Public Broadcasting nurtures personal growth, promotes civic responsibility and inspires lifelong discovery through high-quality programming and services. West Virginia Public Radio, West Virginia PBS, wvpubcast.org and Ready To Learn® are all services of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

 

The Friends of West Virginia Public Broadcasting is a 501(c)3 organization responsible for receiving donated funds from individuals for annual membership to West Virginia Public Broadcasting. Friends serve as ambassadors in their communities on behalf of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

 

All of the licenses for West Virginia Public Broadcasting are held by the West Virginia Educational Broadcasting Authority, an agency of the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts, Kay Goodwin, Secretary.

 

About Saturday Light Brigade

SLB Radio Productions, Inc. (SLB) uses radio and audio to encourage, amplify, share and archive the ideas, stories, and feelings of children, youth and families. SLB believes in radio and audio because these technologies enable a sense of intimacy, engagement and self-directed imagination that is often lacking in other media, while also promoting opportunities for privacy (given that children need not be photographed), equal access (audio has fewer barriers for participation than other media), and sharpening of important life skills (i.e., speaking and listening, imagination, creative expression, and critical thinking, respect for others, confidence and cooperation, and technical curiosity).

 

About PBS KIDS GO!

PBS KIDS GO! offers early elementary children the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television, online and community-based programs. For more information on specific PBS KIDS GO! content supporting literacy, science, math and more, visit PBS.org/pressroom, join our community online on Twitter and Facebook, or visit PBSKIDSGO.org.

 

About Easy Student Publishing

Meet writing standards and motivate students using book-making tools and resources from Easy Student Publishing. With Classbook and Storybook options, free programs, online or mail-in production and expert resources, we have publishing solutions designed for educators. Enhance curriculum, support literacy and promote creativity. Every student can be a published author!

 

About Highlights for Children, Inc. (www.Highlights.com) 

Devoted to "Fun with a Purpose," family media brand Highlights for Children, Inc. has helped children become their best selves for generations. Its flagship publication, Highlights magazine, the most recognizable and widely read children's magazine in the nation, has printed more than a billion copies. Other Highlights offerings include a version for younger children, High Five magazine; a new magazine for babies and their caregivers, Highlights Hello magazine; Highlights for Children book clubs; and mobile applications like My First Hidden Pictures. Highlights can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and at its blog for thoughtful parents, Highlights Aha. Corporate offices are in Columbus, Ohio, and editorial offices are in Honesdale, Pennsylvania. Fun with a Purpose, Goofus and Gallant, and Hidden Pictures are trademarks of Highlights for Children, Inc.

Posted on behalf of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates.  Joyce Kane is the owner of Cybertary Pittsburgh, a Virtual Administrative support company, providing virtual office support, personal and executive assistance, creative design services and light bookkeeping.  Cybertary works with businesses and busy individuals to help them work 'on' their business rather than 'in' their business.  www.Cybertary.com/Pittsburgh