South Sound Area Writing Contests for Kids and Teens

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Writing contests can be fun ways to motivate your big and little kids to practice their skills and get their creative juices flowing.

There are several good ones to choose from this year.

One of the best known is the PBS Kids Writing Contest for kids in K-3. The stations in Tacoma (Be sure to use This Link for Tacoma info. It’s broken if you try to go via PBS Kids) and Seattle are both participating. Young writer/illustrators have until March 31st to submit to the Tacoma station. The Seattle deadline is in April. There are extensive resources on the PBS site to guide you through the rules and give you ideas. Probably the best thing to do is to look at some of the winning entries from previous years.

You might also want to attend a Free workshop in Tacoma coordinated by LivePaint. These are lively, creative workshops. Last year’s focused on developing characters. You do need to register. When I spoke to Susan from KBTC this morning there was still space, but they do fill up. To register use the link above and scroll down. If you’d like more information about Live Paint you can click on their logo. You might have attended one of their storytelling events at a Tacoma library recently.

If poetry is your kids’ passion, the White River Valley Museum in Auburn (one of our favorite area museums for an inexpensive outing) is sponsoring a Best Friends poetry contest. This one is for kids 7-17, and entries need to be in by February 17th, so don’t wait too long. There are small cash prizes for the winners, plus they get to be part of a temporary museum display.

Teenagers may be interested in Our Own Expressions, a writing and art contest sponsored by the Pierce County Library System. This one has some pretty good cash prizes. Entries are due by March 2nd, and the contest is open to teens in 7th-12th grades, living or attending school in Pierce County.

Know another great area writing contest for kids, tweens, or teens? Don’t be shy: Let me know! And speaking of engaging young minds…many area school districts offer kindergarten readiness classes this time of year. You can use the links in my kindergarten registration tab to see if yours is. These events give you an idea of how to help prepare your preschooler for success. They are Not typically registration events-those will kick off in most areas next month!