Meet Our 2023 Writers Contest Winners
Open to students in kindergarten through fifth grade, stories were judged on originality, creative expression, storytelling and integration of illustrations.
WATCH THE FULL AWARDS SHOW
KINDERGARTEN
FIRST PLACE
Dimitri Poletsky
"Kitty Cat Has to Chat"
Camp Allen Elementary
Norfolk
SECOND PLACE
Gabrielle Xu
"Mr. Bug's Fairytale"
Xu-Chan Homeschool
Norfolk
FIRST GRADE
FIRST PLACE
Adilynn Rudolph
"Perfect Blue"
Williamsburg Montessori
Williamsburg
SECOND PLACE
Shriyan Joshi
"Jr. Tiger and Dinosaurs"
Magruder Elementary
Williamsburg
SECOND GRADE
FIRST PLACE
Akemini Fields
"Laila and the Bunny"
Hunter B. Andrews School
Hampton
SECOND PLACE
Annika Cruz
"Rainbow Writer"
W.T. Cooke Elementary
Virginia Beach
THIRD GRADE
FIRST PLACE
Tait Drames
"The Name Game"
Hampton Roads Academy
Newport News
SECOND PLACE
Jenna Henderlite
"The Little Water Drop"
Hickory Elementary
Chesapeake
FOURTH GRADE
FIRST PLACE
Malayia Charles
"The Brown Dress"
College Park Elementary
Virginia Beach
SECOND PLACE
Oliver Boyd
"The Journey to Mars"
Ghent School
Norfolk
FIFTH GRADE
FIRST PLACE
Gordon Wyatt
"Gagaball"
Coventry Elementary
Yorktown
SECOND PLACE
Kathryn Kenner
"The Boy and His Moon Reflection"
Chesapeake Academy
Irvington
OVERALL ENVIRONMENTAL WINNERS
GRADES K-1
Victoria Goodheart
"The Magic Flower"
St. Matthews School
Virginia Beach
GRADES 2-3
Dabney Elizabeth House
"Snakes Save the Day"
Hampton Roads Academy
Newport News
GRADES 4-5
Karis Niesen
"Terri's Story"
Kempsville Elementary
Virginia Beach
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Sariyah Rountree-Wood - Point O'View Elementary, Virginia Beach
Mridul Samtani - Thoroughgood Elementary, Virginia Beach
Lilyanna Fungo - Tarrallton Elementary, Norfolk
Ana Maria Solis - Cedar Road Elementary, Chesapeake
Elizabeth Porter - Greenbrier Intermediate, Chesapeake
Gabrielle Ford - Marie Ford Homeschool, Norfolk
Siddhant Samtani - Old Donation School, Virginia Beach
Andrew Jones - Saunders Elementary, Newport News
The PBS KIDS Writers Contest is part of PBS KIDS Raising Readers and is funded in part by a Ready To Learn grant, in a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Education and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
The contents of these contest rules were developed under a grant, #PRU295B050003, from the Department of Education. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.