Calling All Authors and Illustrators in Kindergarten-3rd Grade:

Send in your best stories and illustrations to 

Smoky Hills PBS!

Entry DEADLINE for the 2023 Contest:  February 24, 2023

1st Grade

1st Place

"The Chicken Noodle Soup Bear"

by Jenson Miller

Gorham

2nd Place

"Harry's Night Out"

by RJ Baskerville

Great Bend

3rd Place

"Molly's Horse Adventure"

by Brooklyn Begay

Osborne

2nd Grade

1st Place

"The Lost Cat"

by Matthias Miller

Gorham

2nd Place

"The Pig Lost His Show"

by Tucker Thornton

Osborne

3rd Place

"Isabella's Big Problem"

by Callyn Ramsey

Scott City

3rd Grade

1st Place

"The Three Friends and the Journey"

by Isaac Mick

Osborne

2nd Place

"The Pig Sleep Over"

by Kaylyn Stephans 

St. Francis

3rd Place

"Scubadiving"

by Madrie Ramsey 

Scott City

Frequently Asked Questions

When can I send in my child's story?

We accept stories all year long.  The deadline for stories is usually at the end of February.  Your entry must be postmarked by Feb. 24th.  

Where do I mail my entry?

Smoky Hills PBS

PO BOX 9

Bunker Hill, KS  67626

Can stories be dictated to an adult?

Yes. Children who cannot write may tell their story to an adult who will write it.

Does spelling Count?

No.  The judges do not consider spelling, 'best guess spelling' is okay.

Can clip art, coloring book characters, or stickers be added to illustrations? Can someone else make my illustrations?  No. Your illustrations need to be your own work. 

Do I need to bind my story?  No. We will accept your story whether it is bound, stapled, or simply paper-clipped.

Will I get my original story back?

If you would like your original story back, include an envelope and postage when you mail in your story. After judging is concluded, we will mail back your original copy in the envelope you provide.

When will the stories be judged, and how are they judged?

Stories will be judged from March through early April.  Stories are

judged on originality, creative expression, storytelling, illustrations, and overall impression.  Some things that make a story special include colorful art; a unique story; a story with a good beginning, middle, and end; illustrations that match the story; attention to details; and following the contest rules.

How will I know if my story won?

Smoky Hills PBS will announce winners through a 30-minute production where we read the winner's stories.  The names of finalists and winners will be posted on our website the same day the production airs.  The Writer's Contest Winners show airs in May. More details on this will be announced in April.  

For more questions or inquiries, please contact shptv@shptv.org

Get Ready To Write

This worksheet is intended to help children start to form ideas for potential stories. This activity gets them to freely develop story ideas through text and illustration. Serving as a precursor to the Brainstorming sheet, this is a place for the child to draw or write topic ideas for their story.

Brainstorming

Even short stories are complex and require children to work on a number of elements: characters, plot/story structure, climax/resolution, and setting. The worksheet below is intended to help children expand upon their story idea(s) to develop a strong story.

Revision

This worksheet is intended to help children develop self-criticism skills so that they can refine and improve their stories.

Illustrating

This worksheet is intended to help children practice making thoughtful, engaging illustrations for their stories. On the worksheet are some examples of words that you can write into the boxes or you can also have children pick words or phrases from their own stories and have them draw corresponding images.