1st Grader, Maggie Stackhouse, has been awarded 3rd place (1st Grade) for her story in the PBS Kids Writers Contest! Way to go Maggie, we are so proud of you!
[CHARLESTON, WV ]— The winners of the 2025 PBS KIDS Writers Contest at West Virginia Public Broadcasting (WVPB) have been announced. Eighteen stories written and illustrated by children in grades K-5 were chosen out of close to 120 entries from across the state.
“We are so impressed with every one of the submissions we received,” said WVPB Director of Education, Autumn Meadows. “The creativity of the stories and illustrations from the youngest to the oldest is very entertaining and imaginative. We thank all of the teachers, caregivers, and children for their time and effort to make sure these stories had an opportunity to be told and shared!”
A celebration for the winners will be held in Charleston on June 14 with special speakers and West Virginia authors, Ashley Belote and Adeline Boggs. Check wvpublic.org soon to see this year’s winning stories and select animations.
Thank you to West Virginia Drug Intervention Institute for sponsoring the 2025 PBS KIDS Writing Contest.
The PBS KIDS Writers Contest at WVPB is an annual competition that encourages West Virginia children in grades K-5 to explore the power of creativity by writing and illustrating their own stories.
For questions, please email WVPB Education at education@wvpublic.org.
See below for our 2025 winners:
2025 Writers Contest Winners
Kindergarten
1st place: “Haymes the Knight” by Caelum Groves
2nd place: “Lazy Fruits” by Cole McAvoy
3rd place: “Beau Finds a Family” by Luca Cassiadoro
1st Grade
1st place: “Cabby’s Great Adventure” by Hazel Hagler
2nd place: “The Best Boy” by Bowen Groves
3rd place: “The Family Vacation” by Maggie Stackhouse
2nd grade
1st place: “A Hungry Little Donkey Travels the World” by Helina Goodwin
2nd place: “Ms. Pickle Toes” by Rowan Bailey
3rd place: “Toto and His Friends” by Zean-Ying Eugene Thong
3rd grade
1st place: “Ella and the Typewriter” by Avonlea Cooper
2nd place: “The Absence of Life” by Isaiah David Umbel
3rd place: “Total Solar Eclipse” by Francesca Briar Shangler
4th grade
1st place: “The Adventure at The Eastern Blue River” by Ryman Dennison
2nd place: “Duckbilled” by Jonah Neil
3rd place: “We Have a Problem: How NASA (Accidently) Launched the First Cat into Space” by Elise Silber
5th grade
1st place: “Pickle Pete 2: A Curious Quest” by Lilly Stubbs
2nd place: “Marble Run” by Theresa ‘Reese’ McGowan
3rd place: “Nora and Ultima vs. The Ice Witch” by Emma Gladwell