Young readers invited to write to favorite authors
Submission deadline: Friday, Jan. 11, 2019
Young readers in grades 4-12 are invited to write a personal letter to an author for the Letters about Literature (LAL) contest, a national reading and writing promotion program.
The letter can be to any author (living or dead) from any genre (fiction or nonfiction, contemporary or classic) explaining how that author’s work changed the student’s life or view of the world.
This is the first year for online submissions. The 26th annual writing contest for young readers is made possible by a generous grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, with additional support from gifts to the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, in partnership with the South Carolina Center for the Book and the South Carolina State Library with financial support from the South Carolina State Library Foundation.
Prizes will be awarded on both the state and national levels. The South Carolina Center for the Book’s panel of judges will select the top letter writers in the state. Their winning letters will be published online at the South Carolina Center for the Book’s website and advance to the national judging.
South Carolina winners will receive $100 for first place, $50 for second place, and $25 for third place in each level. For more information, online submissions, and
entry forms, please visit
www.read.gov/letters.
The deadline for submissions is January 11, 2019.
About the S.C. State Library
The South Carolina State Library develops, supports, and sustains a thriving statewide community of learners committed to making South Carolina stronger. The Library serves the people of South Carolina by supporting state government and libraries to provide opportunities for learning in a changing environment. It is the primary administrator of federal and state support for the state’s libraries. In 1969, as the result of action by the General Assembly, the State Library Board was redesignated as the South Carolina State Library and assumed responsibility for public library development, library service for state institutions, service for the blind and physically handicapped, and library service to state government agencies. Headquartered in Columbia, the Library is funded by the state of South Carolina, by the federal government through the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and other sources. For more information, please visit
statelibrary.sc.gov or call 803.734.8666.
Young readers invited to write to favorite authors
[caption id="attachment_23308" align="alignright" width="250"]
Lindsey Knott, Level 1 first place winner, reads her letter during the 2015 awards ceremony.[/caption]
Young readers in grades 4-12 are invited to write a personal letter to an author for the Letters about Literature contest, a national reading and writing promotion program. The letter can be to any author (living or dead) from any genre (fiction or nonfiction, contemporary or classic) explaining how that author’s work changed the student’s life or view of the world.
The 23rd annual writing contest for young readers is made possible by a generous grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, with additional support from gifts to the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, in partnership with the South Carolina Center for the Book and the South Carolina State Library with financial support from the South Carolina State Library Foundation.
Prizes will be awarded on both the state and national levels. The South Carolina Center for the Book’s panel of judges will select the top letter writers in the state, to be honored in an awards ceremony on April 29, 2016. Their winning letters will be published online at the South Carolina Center for the Book’s website. South Carolina winners will also receive monetary prizes, and then advance to the national judging.
South Carolina winners will receive $100 for first place, $50 for second place, and $25 for third place in each level. For more information and entry forms, please visit www.read.gov/letters. Last year’s South Carolina winners may be found at the ReadSC.org website.
Submissions from grades 9-12 must be postmarked by December 4, 2015. Submissions from grades 4-8 must be postmarked by January 11, 2016.
Image above: seven of the nine winners from the 2015 contest.
Young readers invited to write to favorite authors
Young readers in grades 4-12 are invited to write a personal letter to an author for the Letters about Literature (LAL) contest, a national reading and writing promotion program. The letter can be to any author (living or deceased) from any genre (fiction or nonfiction, contemporary or classic) explaining how that author’s work changed the student’s view of the world. This reading and writing promotion is sponsored by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, in partnership with the South Carolina Center for the Book and the South Carolina State Library with financial support from the South Carolina State Library Foundation.
Prizes will be awarded on both the state and national levels. The South Carolina Center for the Book’s panel of judges will select the top letter writers in the state, to be honored in an awards ceremony on April 29, 2015. Their winning letters will be published online at the South Carolina Center for the Book’s website. South Carolina winners will also receive monetary prizes, and then advance to the national judging.
A panel of national judges for the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress will select one national winner per competition level (Level I for grades 4-6, Level II for grades 7-8, and Level III for grades 9-12) to receive a $1,000 cash award, to be announced May 2015. The judges will also select one national honor winner on each competition level to receive a $200 cash award. South Carolina winners will receive $100 for first place, $50 for second place, and $25 for third place in each level.
Teachers, librarians, and parents can download free teaching materials on reader response and reflective writing, along with contest details and entry forms, at www.read.gov/letters. Last year’s South Carolina winners may be found at the ReadSC.org website.
Submissions from grades 9-12 must be postmarked by December 15, 2014. Submissions from grades 4-8 must be postmarked by January 15, 2015.
For more information, contact Dr. Curtis R. Rogers at (803) 734-8928 or crogers@statelibrary.sc.gov.
