A Benton first-grader earned first place in his category for storywriting in the statewide 2021 Arkansas PBS KIDS Writers Contest.
Students in grades K-3 across Arkansas submitted 155 entries for this year’s contest, and 14 winning stories will be published at myarpbs.org/writerscontest beginning Friday, June 4.
Winners include:
- Kindergarten – First place, Korbin Houston of Little Rock for “The Savers”; second place, Eason Ruffin of Mayflower for “Tiny the Little Dinosaur”; and third place, Sadie Montgomery of Rison for “Bella and the Goat.”
- First grade – Tied for first place, Eli Smith of Benton for “The Dinosaur Mystery” and Caden Platt of Batesville for “Great Team and Robo”; second place, Savannah Smith of Jacksonville for “Sweetheart and Pumpkins”; and third place, Erika Robinson of Bentonville for “The Gem of the Butterfly Land.”
- Second grade – First place, Arielle Morris of Fayetteville for “In the Forest”; second place, Yaqoob Younus of Little Rock for “William and the Glooberries”; and third place, Isaac Cruz of Batesville for “The Silly Baby.”
- Third grade – First place, Elijah Whitaker of Bentonville for “The Adventures of John: The Underground City”; second place, Kanishka Sharma of Jonesboro for “Peter and His Greedy Neighbor”; and tied for third place, Kloe Houston of Little Rock for “The Girl and the Lamp” and Macy Middleton of Western Grove for “Easter Bunny Boutique.”
Entries were judged on originality, creative expression, storytelling and integration of text and illustrations. Each winner will receive an Arkansas PBS prize pack. In addition, first place winners will receive a PBS KIDS Playtime Pad, which comes preloaded with educational games, music and videos.
The Arkansas PBS KIDS Writers Contest is designed to promote the advancement of children’s literacy skills through hands-on, active learning. The contest empowers children in kindergarten through third grades to celebrate creativity and build literacy skills by writing and illustrating their own stories.
PBS KIDS, the number one educational media brand for kids, offers all children the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television, online, mobile and community-based programs. Kidscreen- and Webby-award winning pbskids.org provides engaging interactive content, including the PBS KIDS video player, now offering free streaming video accessible on computer and mobile-device-based browsers.
Arkansas PBS, Arkansas’s only statewide public media network, enhances lives by providing lifelong learning opportunities for people from all walks of life. Arkansas PBS delivers daily, essential, local, award-winning productions and classic, trusted PBS programs aimed at sharing Arkansas and the world with viewers through multiple digital platforms, including livestreaming at myarkansaspbs.org/watch, on-demand services and YouTube TV, and the distinct channels Arkansas PBS, Arkansas PBS Create, Arkansas PBS KIDS, Arkansas PBS WORLD and Arkansas PBS AIRS on SAP. Members with Arkansas PBS Passport have extended on-demand access to a rich library of public television programming. Arkansas PBS depends on the generosity of Arkansans and the State of Arkansas to continue offering quality programming. Additional information is available at myarkansaspbs.org. Arkansas PBS is broadcast on KETS (Little Rock), KEMV (Mountain View), KETG (Arkadelphia), KAFT (Fayetteville), KTEJ (Jonesboro) and KETZ (El Dorado).