The Winners Have Been Chosen!

PBS Fort Wayne has announced the winners of its 2024 PBS Kids Writers contest.

The young author/artists eligible for this annual contest competed by grade level -- Kindergarten, First Grade, Second Grade, Third Grade, Fourth and Fifth grades — independently, through their local library or through their elementary school classrooms. The top three at each grade level were chosen each entry library or classroom, and were judged together with independent entries, sent in by children whose classrooms or libraries did not act as an entry point. In total, an estimated 300 local young author/illustrators participated in this contest.

The winning entries are as follows by grade level, listed by place, story title, writer/illustrator and hometown.

The 2024 Regional winners are:

Kindergarten

1st Place: The Pizza Tree by Tyrian Foggs, Fort Wayne

2nd Place: Timmy's Travels by Kaliyah Myers, Geneva

3rd Place: Glitter's Trouble by Olivia Schwartz, Bryant

First Grade

1st Place: A Simple Art by Liam McManaway, Valparaiso

2nd Place: The Three Little Kittens by Anna Delaney, Fort Wayne

3rd Place: Timmy Meets Callan by Callan Vosteen, Ligonier

Second Grade

1st Place: Nothing is Better than Being Together by Olivia Costa, Valparaiso

2nd Place: The Story of Indy & Reagan by Reagan Lofton, Berne

3rd Place: A Day at the Zoo by Noah Schwartz, Berne

Third Grade

1st Place: Lizard Love by Mathilda Borton, Fort Wayne

2nd Place: The Adventures of Ziggy & Zag by Hudson Sanders, Fort Wayne

3rd Place: Purple Kitty and Evil Cat by Moira Colglazier, Fort Wayne

Fourth Grade

1st Place: My Peanut Butter Sandwich by Brooklynn Schwartz, Berne

2nd Place: The Great Turtle Mystery by Elizabeth Buckingham, Berne

3rd Place: Bailey's Break Away by Grace Hofstetter, Berne

Fifth Grade

1st Place: Camo's Story by Alex Cardenas, Waterloo

2nd Place: Jordyn and the World of Imagination by Jordyn Williams, Urbana

3rd Place: Max, the Dog of Doom by Asher White, Fort Wayne

Winners and their families have been notified and invited to a special Winners’ Celebration to be held at PBS Fort Wayne on Wednesday, June 5 at 5:30PM ET. There, they will be presented with a special certificate, prize package and have their photos taken for an online & on-air presentation of their stories throughout the summer of 2024. In addition, the first-place stories in each category will made into videos and shown on PBS Fort Wayne as well as streaming on our website, on this page, later this year.

PBS Fort Wayne has conducted this contest annually, from its early days as the “Reading Rainbow Young Writers & Illustrators Contest” and later as the “PBS Kids GO! Young Writers Contest” as part of its mission of extending the educational benefits of its children’s programming, literacy and learning efforts beyond the TV screen. 

Questions? Email us at educationoutreach@wfwa.org with your queries.

The 2024 Contest is proudly sponsored by

Watch videos of the winning entries from the 2023 contest!

FIRST PLACE: KINDERGARTEN

FIRST PLACE: FIRST GRADE

FIRST PLACE: SECOND GRADE

FIRST PLACE, THIRD GRADE

FIRST PLACE, FOURTH GRADE

FIRST PLACE, FIFTH GRADE

Local Entry Points

Public libraries, schools and classrooms throughout northeast Indiana, northwest Ohio and southern Michigan can become entry points in this contest!

Ask your local children’s librarian if they plan to take part, or have them contact PBS Fort Wayne’s Education Outreach via email or call 260-484-8839 for more information today!