1056 Arsenal Street,  Watertown, NY 13601   Phone:  (315) 782-3142

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Leslie O'Hara at WPBS-TV
(315) 782-3142, ext. 314

CALL FOR YOUNG WRITERS AND ILLUSTRATORS:
CREATE A STORYBOOK FOR THE
NATIONAL READING RAINBOW CONTEST
14th Annual Competition for Kindergarten to Third Graders

Kindergarten through third graders are invited to write and illustrate original storybooks and enter them in the 14th Annual READING RAINBOW Young Writers & Illustrators Contest.

Sponsored by the award-winning PBS television series READING RAINBOW, the Contest attracts more than 40,000 entries nationally each year. WPBS-TV, together with more than 100 other PBS stations nationwide, offer the Contest. Kindergarten through third graders enter the Contest by creating an original story with illustrations and submitting it with an official entry form to WPBS-TV. Rules and entry forms for the Young Writers & Illustrators Contest are available for download, click here.

Airing weekdays at 3:00pm on WPBS-TV, READING RAINBOW builds lasting friendships between children and books. The Contest builds on the program’s mission to encourage a child’s love of books and reading.

Every child who enters the Contest receives a special Certificate of Achievement. Local first place winners advance to the national competition.

National prizes are awarded to three winning stories in each grade. In 2008, national prizes will include a laptop computer (Grand Prize), flat panel TV with DVD player (2nd place), and MP3 player (3rd place). Each national winner also receives three READING RAINBOW library sets (5 DVDs and books) for his or her home, school and library. In addition, national winning stories are featured on pbskids.org, one of the most-visited national websites for children. To read previous national winning stories, as well as a sample of local submissions, visit pbskids.org/readingrainbow.

Now in its 25th season on PBS, READING RAINBOW has garnered more than 250 awards, including 26 Emmys (ten for “Outstanding Children’s Series”), a prestigious Peabody, nine CINE Golden Eagles, nine Parent’s Choice Awards, and six international Prix Jeunesse Awards.
 

Download Entry Form (PDF)

Download Official Rules (PDF)

Download Poster (PDF)

READING RAINBOW is a registered trademark of WNED-TV, Buffalo and is co-produced by WNED-TV, Buffalo and Smarterville Productions LLC. Support for READING RAINBOW has been provided by Country Inns & Suites and The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations.