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WQED Announces Finalists for 2022 Writers Contest

Kids in Grades K-3 Submitted Original Stories with the Theme “Write My Future”

April 4, 2022

WQED is happy to announce the finalists in the 2022 WQED Writers Contest out of 772 entries that were received. This year’s theme of “Write My Future” encouraged kids to use their creativity to write a story about where they see themselves in the future. 

 

The public is invited to vote between April 25 and May 2 for the “Reader’s Choice Winner.” The stories can be found on the Writers Contest website at www.wqed.org/writemyfuture beginning April 25 at 10am.

 

The Writers Contest winners, including the Reader’s Choice winner, will be announced May 14 at 10am at a celebration at the Maverick Hotel in East Liberty as part of the Greater Pittsburgh Festival of Books. The event is free to the public and will include a puppet show from Pittsburgh Puppet Works.

 

Partnering with WQED this year are WPSU serving central Pennsylvania; and PBS 39 (WLVT) serving eastern Pennsylvania and western New Jersey.

 

WQED has reached out to schools, libraries, and families across Pennsylvania to encourage children to write about their goals and submit their original stories and illustrations. This program has been critical to the mission of WQED’s Education Department, as it engages children in writing and illustrating, includes parents and teachers in the creative process, and emphasizes the relevance of all literacy activities in a child’s life.

 

In the past 12 year WQED has received more than 13,000 story entries, directly communicated with hundreds of teachers and librarians to provide them resources to work with their students, impacted thousands of WQED viewers with messages about the contest, and provided a website full of information that encourages students, and arms adults with relevant literacy information.

 

All finalists’ stories, past and present, will be broadcast on iQKidsRadio.org and featured on Saturday Light Brigade (SLB).

 

The 2022 Finalists are:

 

KINDERGARTEN

Teddy Griffiths, Bethel Park

Lorelei Manges, Canonsburg

Enna Schubert-Mielnik, Bethel Park

Sean Siegrist, Mt. Carmel, PA

 

FIRST GRADE

Sophia Bradway, Wexford

Lipi Kairi, Pittsburgh

Tommy Meikle, Venetia

Aarav Patil, Venetia

 

SECOND GRADE

Jacob Anderson, Bethel Park

Shreyas Devagupthapu, Suwanee, GA

Ava Luangkesorn, Wexford

Claire Sun, San Ramon, CA

 

THIRD GRADE

Lydia Evancic, Venetia

Hazel Kammerer, Bethel Park

Ava Jean Slezak, South Fayette

Matthew Wang, Ellensburg, WA

Public invited to Vote for the Reader’s Choice Winner  at www.wqed.org/writemyfuture April 25 - May 2


About WQED

WQED was an experiment in educational community-supported television that was the forerunner to PBS. Today, WQED is a multimedia powerhouse that is as much a part of Pittsburgh as the three rivers. WQED is WQED-TV (PBS); WQED World; WQED Create; WQED Showcase; WQED PBS KIDS Channel; Classical WQED-FM 89.3/Pittsburgh; Classical WQEJ-FM 89.7/Johnstown; the Pittsburgh Concert Channel at WQED-HD2 (89.3-2FM) and online at www.wqed.org/fm; streaming and apps, and WQED Interactive ( www.wqed.org).

WQED is a premier leader in education programming and resources ( www.wqed.org/edu). Its Learning Neighborhood creates an education continuum serving early learners in the Ready to Learn program -- to creating a pathway from education to employment through the WQED Steeltown Film Academy.

About PBS 39
PBS39 is a community-owned public television station licensed to Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton, PA, serving eastern Pennsylvania and western New Jersey.

 

PBS39 is owned and operated by the Lehigh Valley Public Telecommunications Corporation. PBS39 has the potential to reach 6 million people in our viewing area. PBS39 educates, inspires, informs and entertains while stimulating and disseminating the exchange of ideas for community enrichment.

 

About WPSU

WPSU Penn State is a collection of innovative writers, storytellers, teachers, producers, designers, and technicians — using 21st century tools and media to bring information, education, and entertainment to our viewers, listeners, and larger communities throughout Pennsylvania and beyond.

 

We are leading edge public broadcasters — producing original, local content and providing your favorite programs commercial-free on public radio and television, to engage the minds and spirits of our neighbors and make connections between the region and the world.

 

We create meaningful and memorable films about important social, academic, and community stories to help stimulate conversation and discovery. We improve learning experiences, through design of high-quality, dynamic content in a variety of formats, to aid learners of all ages in their educational journeys.