Detective Rabbits, Alien Wars, and Cheat Mountain Salamanders are center stage this week at West Virginia Public Broadcasting as we announce the winners of the 2023 WVPB PBS Kids Writers Contest.
Students in kindergarten through fifth grade were invited to submit stories with illustrations with the goal to encourage creativity and build literacy. Student teachers from Marshall University partnered with West Virginia Public Broadcasting to judge the entries.
Autumn Meadows, WVPB education specialist, was all smiles as she mailed out the certificates to every participant. “With over 100 submissions from all over the state, we are very proud of the writing that will be showcased,” commented Meadows.
A celebration and ceremony for the winners will take place in May at the West Virginia Culture Center and State Museum. The event will include entertainment by West Virginia authors, Ashley Belote, author of Frankenslime and The Me Tree, and Diane Tarantini, author of The Brave Knight. Performances by Tony Music and Joey Stepp Magic will also be part of the celebration.
Thanks to the West Virginia Drug Intervention Institute for sponsoring the 2023 WVPB PBS Kids Writers Contest. The West Virginia Drug Intervention Institute works in the state and nationwide to build awareness and promote medication safety for children.
Kindergarten:
1st: Elias Cooper
2nd: Grayson Walton
3rd: Lena Martinez
1st grade:
1st: Avonlea Cooper
2nd: Franesca Shangler
3rd: Arianna Thornhill
2nd grade:
1st: Lilianna Quinn Shaw Lawson
2nd: Elise Silber
3rd: Aubree Miles
3rd grade:
1st: Carly Osburn
2nd: Isaiah Fitts
3rd: Sophia Lacocque
4th grade:
1st: Boone Schneeberger
2nd: Rylee Erdlitz
3rd: Lucille Rice
5th grade:
1st: Colton Baisden
2nd: Rhys Clum
3rd: Lily Gard