2025 PBS KIDS Utah Annual Writers & Illustrators Contest

Hey, kids! It’s time for PBS Utah’s annual Writers & Illustrators Contest. This year’s theme is Animal Tales. Grab your notepad, pencil, art supplies, and let your creativity run wild. We can’t wait to read your stories!

Children in kindergarten-6^th grade are invited to participate. Stories are accepted in English and Spanish, can be fiction or nonfiction, may be about your very own pets or any animals you love. The sky’s the limit, as long as it is your own original work.

Don’t know where to start? Take a look at the activity sheets and printable resources on this page. Ask yourself questions like: What are the things I am curious about? What do I notice in the world around me? What would happen if...? Jot down story ideas and sketch drawings as you look at the vibrant world around you.

Stories may be submitted online or via mail with a completed entry form February 1^st to May 1^st, 2025. Winners will receive a PBS KIDS Utah prize pack with rewards from PBS Utah and our community partners, have their stories published online, and have an opportunity to celebrate with other winners with a local PBS station tour. The stories will be showcased in a traveling art exhibit hosted by the Utah Division of Arts and Museums.

2025 Concurso de Escritores e Ilustradores de PBS Utah

¡Hola Chicos! Es hora para el Concurso Anual de Escritores e Ilustradores de Utah. El tema de este año es Cuentos de Animales. Tomen su cuaderno, lápiz, material de arte, y dejen que su creatividad fluya. ¡Estamos emocionados de leer sus historias!

Los niños desde kinder-6^th grado están invitados a participar. Se aceptan historias en inglés y español, pueden ser de ficción o basadas en hechos reales, acerca de sus propias mascotas o sobre cualquier animal que gusten. con cualquier animal que usted quiera. El cielo es el límite, solo les pedimos que sea su propia historia original.

¿No saben por dónde empezar? Den una mirada a las hojas de actividades y recursos para imprimir en esta página. Háganse preguntas tales como: ¿Qué cosas despiertan mi curiosidad? ¿Que noto en el mundo a mi alrededor? ¿Qué noto en el mundo a alrededor mío? ¿Qué pasaría si...? Anoten ideas para historias y haz dibujos mientras observan el mundo vibrante que les rodea.

Pueden enviar sus historias en línea o por e-mail llenando un formulario desde el 1o de febrero hasta el 1o de mayo 2025. Los ganadores recibirán un paquete de premios de PBS KIDS Utah y nuestros socios de la comunidad. Tambien se publicaran sus historias en línea y tendrán la oportunidad de celebrar con otros ganadores en su estación de PBS mas cercana. Las historias serán mostradas en una exhibición itinerante auspiciada por la División de Artes y Museos de Utah.

Submit Your Story Online OR by Mail:

Submissions have now closed. Thank you for your stories!

Winners Announced:

Early May

Providing Support for PBS

Learn More

Contest Instructions

First, check out the Contest Entry Form and Rules (view/print PDF below). It has all the information you need to get your story ready to submit! Make sure you can enter the Contest.
Have a parent or guardian fill out the form completely, sign it, and submit it with your story to be entered in the Contest. Stories may be submitted online or via mail with a completed entry form
What should your story include? 1) A beginning, middle, and end – remember to stay within the word count! 2) A central event, like a conflict or discovery. 3) A minimum of 5 illustrations that help tell the tale. For inspiration, check out the stories from last year.
Stories must be received by May 1, 2025

Printable Resources and Activity Sheets

All stories start with an idea of the characters, places or events that will be in the story. Use these worksheets to help your child and students start to form ideas for potential stories. These activities provide a space to freely develop story ideas through text and illustration.