AETN accepting entries for student writers contest

CONWAY — The Arkansas Educational Television Network is accepting entries for the PBS KIDS GO! Writers Contest through Friday.

The PBS KIDS GO! Writers Contest is a national-local contest designed to promote the advancement of children’s reading skills through handson, active learning. The contest encourages children in kindergarten through the third grade in communities across the country to celebrate the power of creating stories and illustrations by submitting their original pieces.

Stories may be fact, fiction, prose or poetry. Only one entry will be allowed per person, and stories must be by a single author. Stories by kindergartners and first-graders must have a minimum of 50 words and a maximum of 200 words. Stories by second- and third-graders must have a minimum of 100 words and a maximum of 350 words.

Text must be printed, written legibly or typed. Children who cannot write may dictate their story to be printed, written legibly or typed. Stories must have at least five original, clear, colorful illustrations.

Entries will be judged on originality, creative expression, storytelling and integration of text and illustrations. AETN will judge local submissions and send its first-place winners to the national contest. National prizes include tablet computers for four first-place winners, ereaders for four second-place winners, and MP3 players for four third-place winners.

More information and entry forms are available online at www.aetn.org/ kids or by emailing marketing@aetn.org.

Stories should be submitted by mail to AETN Writer’s Contest, 350 S. Donaghey Ave., Conway, AR 72034, by Friday. Arkansas winners will be chosen in May and sent to PBS KIDS GO! to be entered in the national contest. National winners will be announced in July.

Building on the success of the 15-year Reading Rainbow Young Writers and Illustrators Contest, the PBS KIDS GO! Writers Contest received more than 25,000 children’s stories submitted nationally in 2010.