Ozarks Public Television proudly presents the annual OPT/PBS KIDS Writers Contest, designed to promote the advancement of children’s literacy skills through hands-on, active learning. The Contest empowers children in grades K-3 to celebrate creativity and build literacy skills by writing and illustrating their very own stories.

2021 OPT/PBS KIDS Writers Contest

Thank you to all the young writers who entered the 2021 OPT/PBS KIDS Writers Contest!
We LOVED reading your stories! Congratulations to all participants on a job well done. And to all the parents who helped their kids enter, thank you for encouraging your child to get creative.

Ozarks Public Television is pleased to announce the winners of the 2021 OPT/PBS KIDS Writers Contest:

KINDERGARTEN

1st Place: Olivia Guo, Springfield, MO – “Lovely The Unicorn”
2nd Place: Silas Haahr, Springfield, MO – “Samson Got Chased by the Gorilla!”
3rd Place: Milo Kostic, Springfield, MO – “A Monster and the Unicorns”

1ST GRADE

1st Place: Sadie Deatherage, Rogersville, MO – “Lemon”
2nd Place: Gianna Acosta, Springfield, MO – “Peter Goes to Pizza Night”
3rd Place: Georgia Slone, Nixa, MO – “The Witch of Doom”

2ND GRADE

1st Place: Youli Yang, Columbia, MO – “Diary of a Fat, Lazy Cat”
2nd Place: Victoria Guo, Springfield, MO – “The Small Owl”
3rd Place: Lily Farmer, Webb City, MO – “King Pickle Mike”

3RD GRADE

1st Place: Amyrah Mahajan, Chesterfield, MO – “Rainbow Deer”
2nd Place: Savanah Stevens, Arma, KS – “My New School”
3rd Place: Genna Matteson, Lee’s Summit, MO – “Know Your Clouds”
 

Click the links above to read the winning stories!

Winning stories will be on display at Waverly House Gifts and Gallery from July 6-17, 2021. For more information and gallery hours, visit www.waverlyhouse.com or call (417) 882-3445.

Winning stories will also be displayed at the Laura Ingalls Wilder Children’s Literature Festival at the Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home & Museum in Mansfield, MO, on November 4-5, 2021. For more information on this festival, visit www.liwclf.com. 

Awards Ceremony
Winners of the 2021 Contest and their families are invited to attend the OPT/PBS KIDS Writers Contest Awards Banquet on Thursday, July 22 at 6:30pm. Additionally, 2020 winners will also be recognized at this banquet since they did not get to have a banquet last year. An official invitation with more details will be coming soon, so winners and their families should save the date and keep an eye out for their invitations.