Blue-footed boobies, dirty sneakers, and a father who may have to leave for war were among the subjects of winning stories in this year's New Hampshire PBS PBS KIDS GO! Writers Contest. NHPTV received over 700 entries for this year's contest!
The first-, second-, and third-place winners in all six grade categories will be recognized at the NHPTV–PBS KIDS GO! Writers Contest awards ceremony June 5th at the NHPTV Broadcast Center in Durham. NH children’s book author and illustrator Marty Kelley will speak at the ceremony and offer encouragement for their creative endeavors. Kelley is a “recovering second grade teacher” and father of two.
The first-place winners in grades K – 3 will represent NHPTV at the national level, where their stories will be judged with others from public television stations across the country.
The Winning Stories!
Here is the complete list of NHPTV contest winners:
1st Place
Kindergarten Betsy's Blue Feet by Briar Ainscough, Nashua, NH
1st Grade Perfect in Every (Filthy) Way by Isabella Payne,
Concord, NH
2nd Grade The Two Friends by Claire Emily Reynolds, Nashua, NH
3rd Grade By the Sea by Bridget Abney, Fremont, NH
4th Grade Josephine's Big Mess by Gabriela Rachel Libenson, Barnstead, NH
5th Grade A "Tail" of Two Dogs by Kailey Andrew, Bow, NH
2nd Place
Kindergarten Bella Comes Home by Hannah Waltz, Bow, NH
1st Grade The Time of Day Book by Máiréad Wicklow, Francestown, NH
2nd Grade Spike's Adventures by Sasha Reynolds, Chesterfield Township, MI
3rd Grade Nuts and the Acorn by Angelina Blake, Sandown, NH
4th Grade The Disappearing Bananas by Jacy Abasciano, Hampton, NH
5th Grade Jaques and the Horrors of the Kitchen by Jesse DeJager, Alton, NH
3rd Place
Kindergarten We Can Make a Difference by Akhila Ram,
Lexington, MA
1st Grade Super Sandy Helps Haiti by Wyatt Dodd, Dunbarton, NH
2nd Grade The ABC's of Irish Dance by Kira Mazur, Sandown, NH
3rd Grade Shark Myths Busted by Eric Favreau, Manchester, NH
4th Grade The Alpine Appaloosa by Sadie DeJager, Alton, NH
5th Grade Visiting Sara by Hannah Belawske, Spofford, NH
>> Full list of winners
Here are the top 5 cities by number of stories submitted:
1. Nashua, NH - 89 entries, 27 winning stories
2. Milton, NH - 44 entries, 5 winning stories
3. Fremont, NH - 42 entries, 2 winning stories
4. Sanbornville, NH - 34 entries, 1 winning story
5. Concord, NH - 28 entries, 3 winning stories
>> More fun facts about this year's contest.
How the Stories Were Judged
NHPTV, with support from NEA-NH, was one of 87 public television stations participating in this year’s
NHPTV–PBS KIDS GO! Writers Contest, which promotes the advancement of children’s reading skills through hands-on, active learning and celebrates the power of creating original illustrated stories. This year's local winners were chosen from among 700 local entrants by a panel of judges including children’s author and illustrator Marty Kelley and NEA- NH president Rhonda Wesolowski. All winning stories will be placed on our
NHPTV–PBS KIDS GO! Writers Contest website.
Contact Tamara Hindle, NHPTV Communications Coordinator, at (603) 868-4307 or email for more information.
The NHPTV-PBS KIDS GO! Writers Contest is made possible, in part, by support from NEA New Hampshire.
