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PBS SoCal Honored Twelve Local Winners of Annual Writers Contest

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LOS ANGELES, Calif. (May 26, 2016) – PBS SoCal hosted the Awards Ceremony to celebrate the winners of its Annual Writers Contest on May 25. The annual creative writing competition, which is open to children in grades K-3, is designed to promote the advancement of children's literacy skills through hands-on, active learning. More than 350 students from the greater Los Angeles and Orange County region wrote, illustrated and submitted their own unique stories.

The submissions were judged by a panel of community partners and PBS SoCal education staff on the basis of creativity, originality, story structure, relevance, illustrations, and overall quality. First, second, and third place winners were selected for each grade level and had the opportunity to read their stories to the assembled guests.

The winners are:


  • 1st Place - Kindergarten: “Camping with the Star” by Ayaka M. of Torrance, Calif.
  • 1st Place - First Grade: “The Day I Ditched a Monster” by Owen M. of Costa Mesa, Calif.
  • 1st Place - Second Grade: “Yuoko The Queriot” by Jishnu M. of Woodland Hills, Calif.
  • 1st Place - Third Grade: “The Island of Ghostly Animals” by Arjun G. of Irvine, Calif.
  • 2nd Place - Kindergarten: “Nuk the Superhero” by Saikrishnan S. of Brea, Calif.
  • 2nd Place - First Grade: “Share” by Naomi A. of Compton, Calif.
  • 2nd Place - Second Grade: “Princess Heart and the Magical Unicorn” by Eliana G. of Carson, Calif.
  • 2nd Place - Third Grade: “My Hot Dog Is Alive” by Maximino N.
  • 3rd Place - Kindergarten: “The Superhero Monkey” by Natalie D. of Foothill Ranch, Calif.
  • 3rd Place - First Grade: “Rescue Under the Volcano” by Maya T. of Aliso Viejo, Calif.
  • 3rd Place - Second Grade: “Gawky the Golden Crystal of Purity” by Pavitra K. of San Jose, Calif.
  • 3rd Place -Third Grade: “Lily Gets a Diamond Crown” by Onyinyechi G. of Inglewood, Calif.

About the Annual Writers Contest
PBS stations throughout the country collaborate with their local schools, libraries and other community partners to present the PBS KIDS Writers Contest. In keeping with our commitment to promote education in the community, PBS SoCal hosted the Writers Contest in the Los Angeles and Orange County area in order to advance children’s literacy skills and encourage children to exercise their creativity and imagination. Through this initiative, PBS SoCal also offers students, parents and teachers a wealth of online educational resources designed to help children build their writing, reading, and language skills, all of which are available on our website.

About PBS SoCal KOCE
PBS SoCal KOCE is the home to PBS for Greater Los Angeles and Southern California, dedicated to fostering a love of learning, culture and community using the power of public media. We deliver the full schedule of high-quality PBS programs, plus content that is for, about and by the people of Southern California. We make our content available for free through three broadcast channels-- PBS SoCal/KOCE-HD, PBS SoCal Plus and PBS SoCal World. It is also available anytime, anywhere at pbssocal.org, on our mobile apps, and via connected TV services. And we reach deep into the community through partnerships, events and grassroots outreach, providing early education resources and access to a broad array of arts and culture experiences. PBS SoCal has offices in Century City, Costa Mesa, and Los Angeles. Learn more at pbssocal.org and follow PBS SoCal on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat.

About PBS KIDS
PBS KIDS, the number one educational media brand for kids, offers all children the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television, digital platforms and community-based programs. Kidscreen and Webby-award winning pbskids.org provides engaging interactive content, including digital games and streaming video. PBS KIDS also offers mobile apps to help support young children’s learning. The PBS KIDS Video App is available on a variety of mobile devices and on platforms such as Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Chromecast. For more information on specific PBS KIDS content supporting literacy, science, math and more, visit pbs.org/pressroom, or follow PBS KIDS on Twitter and Facebook.

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