WQED announces PBS writers' contest finalists

WQED invites the public to vote for the “Reader’s Choice Winner” in its 2019 PBS KIDS Writers Contest from May 24-31.

The contest is made possible locally by the EQT Foundation. Partnering with WQED this year is West Virginia Public Broadcasting (WVPB); PBS 39 (WLVT), serving eastern Pennsylvania and western New Jersey; and WPSU in State College, serving central Pennsylvania.

According to WQED, 27 finalists were chosen from more than 1,000 stories submitted from young writers throughout Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Maryland and Delaware.

All finalists’ stories will be available to read and listen to via WQED’s Writers Contest page at writeonkids.org.

Winners will be announced on May 31 at the Winners Red Carpet celebration at WQED’s Fred Rogers Studio in Oakland.

Prizes include the opportunity to record winning stories, with the recordings broadcast on iQKidsRadio.org and featured on Saturday Light Brigade this summer.

Winners in the kindergarten through grade three category will have their stories made into an original puppet play. Winners in grades four, five and STEM categories will have their stories made into music videos, which will be played at the celebration by Pittsburgh Puppet Works.

Finalists are:

KINDERGARTEN:

• Evelyn Mascaro, Hampton Township

• Jack Ford, Bethel Park

• Olivia Burrow, Quakertown

• Sarah Sakowitz, Upper St. Clair

• Vihaan Rathi, North Hills

FIRST GRADE

• Alexis King, Bethel Park

• Bernadette Cate, State College

• Elijah Wharton, Hampton Township

• Gianna Nickola, Peters Township

SECOND GRADE

• Aarav Ridhan Parthiban, Scott Township

• Arjun Kairi, Pittsburgh

• Coleman Yengst, Salisbury Township

• Isaac Chapman, New Castle

• Olivia Anderson, Bethel Park

THIRD GRADE

• Alexis Faltot, Natrona Heights

• Devin Kilpela, Pittsburgh

• Lily Haberman, Hampton

• Sydney Kellander, Bethel Park

FOURTH GRADE

• Adele Stamenov, Bethel Park

• Annaleigh Dwulit, Mt Lebanon

• Connor Dickey, Brentwood Borough

• Kiya Krinjeck, Richfield

FIFTH GRADE

• Areesha Nouman, Westlake, Ohio

• Clare Troll, Somerset

• Felicity Koble, West Deer

• Samantha Strope, Jefferson Hills

• Sienna Terpak, Williamsport

“In addition to the winners, we are celebrating 10 years of the EQT Foundation’s commitment to the Writers Contest, and we thank them for their ongoing support,” says Deborah L. Acklin, WQED president and CEO.

“Thanks to their funding, we have expanded the Writers Contest from a small event to one that welcomes kids from five states. WQED congratulates its finalists and celebrates all of the talented students who entered this year’s contest,” she adds.

Details: writeonkids.org