2024 PBS Reno Writers Contest Call for Entries
Annual contest encourages local children to write and illustrate their own stories!
RENO, NV (January 8, 2024) — The annual PBS Reno Writers Contest kicks off today and PBS Reno is inviting local students in kindergarten through third grade to submit their own illustrated stories! This year’s theme is WONDER.
The PBS Reno Writers Contest encourages children throughout northern and central Nevada and northeastern California to get creative by writing and illustrating their own original stories around the selected theme. Through this process, children build their creative voices and develop critical reading and writing skills.
“The Writers Contest brings out clever, creative writing from kindergarten through third grade writers in our community,” said Nancy Maldonado, PBS Reno Vice President of Education. “Their illustrations are great, but my favorite part of each student’s entry is hearing their ‘voice’ come through their writing! Writing opens the door to a world of possibilities for children and the PBS Reno Writers Contest gives us a window into the creative talent of our community youth.”
The deadline to submit entries is Friday, March 15, 2024. Each story must include five pages, five illustrations, and a specific word count for each grade. For downloadable materials, guidelines, writing prompts and more, click here.
“I am so excited for this year’s Writers Contest,” said Joy Foremaster, PBS Reno Director of Education. “I think our theme of Wonder is going to bring out some amazing stories in our local young authors. It is always so much fun to see how the kids interpret our themes and produce such unique and wonderful stories.”
A team of dedicated educators and volunteers will go through an in-depth review process and select first, second, and third place winners from each grade. The winning authors will be honored in a variety of exciting ways, including having their stories published into hardcover books and featured on PBS Reno on the air and on the station’s website.
Each student who submits a story will receive a special certificate of participation.
In 2023, PBS Reno received 2,794 Writers Contest entries, thanks to 158 teachers who submitted entries from 59 different schools throughout seven northern Nevada school districts: Washoe, Carson City, Douglas, Elko, Lyon, White Pine, and Humboldt. PBS Reno also received 21 individual entries that were submitted online. Read the 2023 winning stories here.
About PBS Reno
As of December 2023, PBS Reno is enjoyed by more than 290,000 monthly viewers in northern and central Nevada and northeastern California across several platforms including three broadcast channels (PBS Reno 5.1, Reno Create 5.2, and PBS KIDS on PBS Reno 5.3), a YouTube channel, YouTubeTV, online, livestreams, and digital platforms. PBS Reno provides PBS national programming and award-earning, locally-produced content, with many local segments posted weekly to PBS Reno’s YouTube Channel. PBSReno.org provides engaging interactive content, including the video portal at watch.PBSReno.org that streams all locally-produced content and most PBS national content. PBS Reno serves students, teachers, parents and caregivers through immersive educational services including Curiosity Classroom Workshops that bring classroom lessons to life with standards-based lessons and activities. Through the support of local corporations and foundations, as well as thousands of individual members, PBS Reno has been delivering public television and educational services to the communities it serves since September 29, 1983.
Contact us:
Membership Questions: membership@pbsreno.org
Programming Hotline: programming@pbsreno.org
Phone: 775.600.0555
Address: 1670 N. Virginia St. • Reno NV 89503