2002 Winners Announced!

Alabama Public Television received hundreds of books from children across the state this year for the Eighth Annual Reading Rainbow Young Writers & Illustrators Contest. The goal of the competition is to encourage children ages 6 to 9 to be creative and have fun doing it. Each entrant is required to write and illustrate their own work. Subject matter may be prose or poetry, fiction or non-fiction, and all illustrations should attempt to complement and enhance the text. Each grade is judged separately. Parents are encouraged to help their children create a positive, joint learning experience, but the overall concepts and text must be the child's.

The judges were very excited about the quality of the work they had to choose from this year. It was a wonderful experience," says Janine Langston of the Jefferson County Library. "I loved looking at everyone's good work."

A First Place and an Honorable Mention were awarded for each grade level, K-3. The winners are:

Kindergarten:
First Place to Brock Dunaway of New Brocton for Big Ears
Honorable Mention to Tayllor Hope Hanson of McCalla for A Sad Day

First Grade:
First Place to Sarah Grace Tucker of Birmingham for No Boys Allowed
Honorable Mention - Alivia Malynn Dart of Jasper for Brianna's Bad Paintings

Second Grade:
First Place - Hayley Suzanne Stewart of Trinity for I Wish I Had a
Sister
Honorable Mention - Sarah Clancy of Satsuma for Fun at the Beach

Third Grade:
First Place - Andrea L. Williamson of Hartselle for Angela's Apple Tree
Honorable Mention - Neil Chakraborti of Tuscaloosa for The Garage Sale

Each First Place winner will receive a $100 gift certificate from Books-A-Million, statewide sponsor of the contest, plus Kazoo T-shirts and Kazoo memberships. Honorable Mention winners will receive $50 gift certificates. Books-A-Million has sponsored the contest since it began eight years ago.

All of the children who sent in books for the contest will receive special certificates of participation for their work, signed by Reading Rainbow host, LeVar Burton.

The First Place winner's books now progress to the national level Reading Rainbow judging which will be done in June. National prizes include computers and Reading Rainbow videotape libraries for kids and their schools. Alabama has had three national prize winners during the past two years of competition.