Eight announces Arizona winners of StoryMaker Contest, writing competition for middle schoolers

Top writers in statewide middle school competition win laptops and other prizes in partnership with the CenturyLink Foundation

PHOENIX — (April 23, 2013)  Eight, Arizona PBS is pleased to announce the 2013 winners of its annual Arizona StoryMakers Contest — a statewide writing contest for middle school students, produced by Eight, Arizona PBS in partnership with the CenturyLink Foundation.  Arizona students in grades 6-8 were invited to submit either fiction or non-fiction stories of 500-1,000 words between December 2012 and February 2013. Awards were presented to winners in each grade level and category at a special event on April 20, hosted by Eight, Arizona PBS at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism on the downtown Phoenix campus of Arizona State University. First place winners in each grade level and category were awarded with a laptop computer and accessories provided by CenturyLink Pioneers. Second and third place winners each received a Kindle, courtesy of the program grant provided by the CenturyLink Foundation. The awards celebration also featured a special address by noted Arizona children’s author Terri Fields.

“We had over 400 entries submitted for the competition,” says Mark Becker, Associate Director for Educational Outreach at Eight, Arizona PBS. “Thanks to our judges, all high school language arts teachers, who narrowed down the many entries to select our StoryMakers contest winners for 2013, using the 6+1 Trait® Writing Rubric.”

The 2013 Arizona StoryMakers contest winners are:

6th Grade Fiction:

1st place – Maggie Gibbs – Diary of a Toothbrush – Peoria

2nd place – Sydni Reimer – My Amazing Discovery! – Cave Creek
3rd place – Taylor Tryhall – Adventure on a Boat – Surprise

6th Grade Non-Fiction:
1st place – Connor White – Tavis Barker – Surprise
2nd place – Kayley Jarman – Our Christmas present – Surprise
3rd place – Natcha Ramioulle – An Unexpected Chase – Scottsdale 7th Grade Fiction:

1st place – McKenna Collman – Fox Paws – Phoenix

2nd place – Audrey Lim – The Letter to the Duke – Casa Grande
3rd place – Aimee Loya – Ashes – Peoria 7th Grade Non-Fiction

1st place – Brett Cernich – A Slave's Tale: From Rags to Revolt – Scottsdale

2nd place – Lily Cristante – Out of Slavery and into the White House – Cave Creek
3rd place – Evangeline Taylor – Overcoming Challenges – Lake Havasu City 8th Grade Fiction:

1st place – Rilee Theriault – Last Breath – Peoria

2nd place – Tillena Trebon – The Crash – Flagstaff
3rd place – Janessa Skidmore – The Bedtime Story   – Peoria 8th Grade Non-Fiction:

1st place – Tyler Ruan – Jet-Lag Induced Stupidity: A Day in the Life of an Exhausted Teen – Phoenix

2nd place – Noah Swartz – Apollo: The Importance of Insignificant Events – Glendale

3rd place – Marina Zinter – Adventures in Disneyland – Phoenix

All winners’ stories are posted here: http://www.asset.asu.edu/new/writers_contest_winners_2013.html.

Media Contact:  Colleen O’Donnell Pierce
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