WTVI and Reading Rainbow, the Emmy award-winning PBS children’s series, are pleased to announce this year’s winners of the 14th Annual “Young Writer’s and Illustrators Awards” Contest. The national competition, targeted for grades K-3, is designed to encourage children to write and illustrate their own stories.
The 2008 1st place winners are: Kindergarten – Chloe Smith; First grade - Ja’la Berry; Second grade - LaJonti Jones (not pictured); and Third grade - Robby Rhyne. There were three winners from each grade level and the contest participants and their families enjoyed an awards ceremony held at WTVI.

The Emmy award-winning PBS television series READING RAINBOW contest encourages children to discover books, reading and the love of learning.

“The competition makes every child a winner,” said Beverly Dorn-Steele, WTVI’s Director of Education and Outreach. “It reinforces the show’s literacy message and brings a sense of achievement that comes from creating a story.”

All winning “first place” entries from the local contest will be submitted to Reading Rainbow for the National Competition. Local winners in all categories will receive books, tapes, a certificate of achievement signed by Levar Burton and an opportunity to appear on WTVI.

READING RAINBOW is the #1-most-watched PBS program in the classroom according to the most recent study commissioned by PBS. Librarians and booksellers report that books featured on the program receive enormous requests and quickly become “classics” in kids’ personal libraries.