2025 PBS Reno Writers Contest Call for Entries
Annual contest encourages local children to write and illustrate their own stories!
RENO, NV (JAN 6, 2025) — The annual PBS Reno Writers Contest kicks off today and PBS Reno is inviting local students in kindergarten through third grade to submit their own illustrated stories! This year’s theme is SOMEDAY.
The PBS Reno Writers Contest encourages children throughout northern and central Nevada and northeastern California to get creative by writing and illustrating their own original stories around the selected theme. Through this process, children build their creative voices and develop critical reading and writing skills.
“I’m very excited for this year’s Writers Contest,” said Nancy Maldonado, PBS Reno Vice President of Education. “The Writers Contest brings out clever, creative writing from kindergarten through third grade writers in our community. It’s fun to see so many classrooms participating and teachers weaving the Writers Contest into their curriculum. Writing opens the door to a world of possibilities for children and the PBS Reno Writers Contest gives us a window into the creative talent of our community youth.”
The deadline to submit entries is Friday, March 7, 2025. Each story must include five pages, five illustrations, and a specific word count for each grade. For downloadable materials, guidelines, writing prompts and more, click here.
“Our annual Writers Contest is one of my favorite projects to be a part of,” said Joy Foremaster, PBS Reno Director of Education. “Seeing the writing of our local youth is so inspiring. The talent we see from year to year from such young children is amazing. This year’s theme of SOMEDAY is sure bring out some incredible stories!”
A team of dedicated educators and volunteers will go through an in-depth review process and select first, second, and third place winners from each grade. The winning authors will be honored in a variety of exciting ways, including having their stories published into hardcover books and featured on PBS Reno on the air and on the station’s website.
Each student who submits a story will receive a special certificate of participation.
In 2024, PBS Reno received 2,777 Writers Contest entries, thanks to 160 teachers who submitted entries from 54 different schools throughout eight northern Nevada school districts: Washoe, Carson City, Douglas, Elko, Lyon, White Pine, Storey, and Humboldt. PBS Reno also received 15 individual entries that were submitted online. Read the 2024 winning stories here.
About PBS Reno
As of November 2024, PBS Reno is enjoyed by more than 540,000 monthly viewers in northern and central Nevada and northeastern California across several platforms including three broadcast channels (PBS Reno 5.1, Reno Create 5.2, and PBS KIDS on PBS Reno 5.3), a YouTube channel, YouTube TV, online, livestreams, and digital platforms. PBS Reno provides PBS national programming and award-earning, locally-produced content, with many local segments posted weekly to PBS Reno’s YouTube Channel. PBSReno.org provides engaging interactive content, including the video portal at watch.PBSReno.org that streams all locally-produced content and most PBS national content. PBS Reno serves students, teachers, parents and caregivers through immersive educational services including Curiosity Classroom Workshops that bring classroom lessons to life with standards-based lessons and activities. Through the support of local corporations and foundations, as well as thousands of individual members, PBS Reno has been delivering public television and educational services to the communities it serves since September 29, 1983.
Contact us:
Membership Questions: membership@pbsreno.org
Programming Hotline: programming@pbsreno.org
Phone: 775.600.0555
Address: 1670 N. Virginia St. • Reno NV 89503