Today Ripple Foundation Canada has announced a call for entries for its sixth annual Kids Write 4 Kids Creative Challenge.
The contest, organized by Ripple Foundation, is promoted to 240 schoolboards, 500 schools, and 192 public libraries across Canada. Youth authors in grades 4-8 can submit their creative stories until March 31st, 2018. All works will be reviewed by a judging panel which includes two finalists from last year’s contest. The winning stories will be published both in print and digitally for the world to read and available for purchase through Amazon, Apple iBookstore, and Kobo Bookstore. Kids Write 4 Kids gives us, at the Ripple Foundation, the opportunity to give back to our community, but it also creates a chance for participants to give back to theirs: The net proceeds from the sale of all Kids Write 4 Kids books during 2018 will be donated to the winners’ charities of choice. In addition, winners will have the opportunity to be part of the judging panel for the following year’s contest.
“When we started Kids Write 4 Kids Creative Challenge, we never anticipated that the contest would become so popular among kids, teachers, and parents. Over the last five years, we’ve received more than a thousand entries,” says Ivy Wong, founder of Ripple Foundation. “Our goal is to encourage creativity among youth. Through participation in this contest we want to convey that writing is fun and creating your own story can be a very exciting process. We want to inspire kids to think outside of the box.” Last year’s winner, Olivia Simms, who wrote How to be an Abbott, said, “if I have something to say, why not share it? You have nothing to lose by putting yourself out there as an artist, but there’s a whole world of possibilities if you’re just brave enough to try.”
To find out what it’s like to be a winner, watch Meet the Author video of Emily Little, last year’s winner who wrote Summon the Magic, on YouTube youtu.be/YEyjntORVIs
Farheen Ali, mother of Safaa Ali, one of the first Kids Write 4 Kids winners in 2012 who wrote Why Peacock have Colorful Feathers, commented on how Kids Write 4 Kids impacted her daughter:
When my daughter first applied to the Kids Write 4 Kids Creative Challenge, I had never anticipated the huge, long lasting effects this competition would have. Everyone in her school was so excited and her book was displayed amongst the “new releases” section of her school library. Reading reviews on Amazon about her book and doing book readings in her school made her feel like a real author and motivated her as well as the children in her school to really get excited about writing. This positive experience has helped her become more confident about unleashing her creativity and sharing ideas. Fast forward five years, she has branched out into everything from public speaking to writing and performing on the stage, as well as helping to run a writing workshop in conjunction with the Director of Teaching and Learning at her school. This competition has motivated her not just to keep pushing ahead with her own writing but to mentor and create a love for writing in others. That is, I believe, the most significant outcome of the Kids Write 4 Kids Creative Challenge.
Since 2012, Ripple Digital Publishing has published 12 entertaining stories by youth authors from across Canada. Past stories include: humour, murder mystery, poetry, and even dragons! The Ripple Foundation team will be working hard to engage communities from all provinces and territories across Canada to ensure children from every corner of this country are aware of the opportunity.
For more information about the Kids Write 4 Kids Creative Challenge and entry details, please visit our website www.ripplepublishing.ca/contest and connect with us at:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/kidswrite4kids
Twitter: twitter.com/kidswrite4kids
Instagram: instagram.com/kidswrite4kids/
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/kidswrite4kids
To purchase books written by youth authors for your children, local schools, or libraries, visit:
www.ripplepublishing.ca/books
For more details, please contact:
Maxim Rakov
maxim@ripplefoundation.ca
Tel.: +1 (647) 921-4764