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Winners announced in AETN PBS KIDS Writers Contest

Posted 03 May 2019

The Arkansas Educational Television Network has announced winners of the AETN PBS KIDS Writers Contest. AETN received more than 200 entries from students across Arkansas for this year's contest, and all 12 winning stories can be viewed at aetn.org/writerscontest.

Winners include:

• Kindergarten - First Place, Gunner Duck of Omaha for "Ninja Puppy"; second place, Barrett Friedman of North Little Rock for "Twister the Tornado"; third place, Allen Dong of Conway for "Cat and Dog's Adventure."
• First grade - First Place, Natalie Pearson of Paragould for "The Last Carrot"; second place, Gavin Dews of Hot Springs for "The Razorback Game"; third place, Holland Wall of Heber Springs for "The Mystery of the House."
• Second grade - First Place, Sarah Felio of Conway for "A Queen, A Princess and a Dragon"; second place, Kyle Elkins of Berryville for "Mummy Love"; third place, Ariq Huq of Conway for "The Robot."
• Third grade - First Place, Nadia Ali of Cabot for "Agent Pig (and Ducky) Save the Day"; second place, Charles Dong of Conway for "Alien Trip"; third place, Hasfah Sulta of Little Rock for "The Bravest Dog in the World."

Entries were judged on originality, creative expression, storytelling and integration of text and illustrations. Each winner will receive an AETN prize pack. In addition, first place winners will win a PBS KIDS Playtime Pad, which comes preloaded with educational games, music and videos.

In addition to the winning students, Jenny Slaton, Lakeside Primary teacher in Hot Springs, won a visit from Clifford the Big Red Dog for her classroom, and Jennifer McCullough, Berryville Elementary teacher, won a set of five PBS KIDS Playtime Pads for her classroom.

The AETN PBS KIDS Writers Contest is designed to promote the advancement of children's literacy skills through hands-on, active learning. The contest empowers children in kindergarten through third grades to celebrate creativity and build literacy skills by writing and illustrating their own stories.

PBS KIDS, the number one educational media brand for kids, offers all children the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television, online, mobile and community-based programs. Kidscreen- and Webby-award winning pbskids.org provides engaging interactive content, including the PBS KIDS video player, now offering free streaming video accessible on computer and mobile-device-based browsers.

The Arkansas Educational Television Network is Arkansas's only statewide public media network, which enhances lives by providing lifelong learning opportunities for people from all walks of life. AETN delivers local, award-winning productions and classic, trusted PBS programs aimed at sharing Arkansas and the world with viewers through the distinct channels AETN PBS, AETN Create, AETN PBS KIDS, AETN World and AETN AIRS on SAP. Audiences can also watch on several digital platforms, and members with AETN Passport have extended on-demand access to a rich library of public television programming. AETN depends on the generosity of Arkansans and the State of Arkansas to continue offering quality programming. Additional information is available at aetn.org. AETN is broadcast on KETS (Little Rock), KEMV (Mountain View), KETG (Arkadelphia), KAFT (Fayetteville), KTEJ (Jonesboro) and KETZ (El Dorado).