The Library of Congress has revealed the winners of its summer writing contest. The contest asked fifth- and sixth-grade applicants to write about a book that had a personal impact on their lives.
The contest drew entries from almost 300 young readers in the Mid-Atlantic region. These readers submitted their essays through their local libraries’ summer reading programs. Five finalists per state were chosen in an initial round of judging. Members of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL), a division of the American Library Association (ALA) judged the contest.
The finalists will each receive a $50 gift card prize. Each state winner will also receive another $50 gift card. The first-, second-, and third-place grand-prize winners will be awarded additional gift-card prizes of $200, $150 and $100 respectively.
We’ve got the lists of grand prize winners and state winners after the jump.
Grand Prize & State Winners
1st Place Grand Prize & Delaware State Winner
Rachel Smookler, New Castle County Libraries – Brandywine Hundred Library, who wrote about “Jack and Louisa: Act 1″ by Andrew Keenan-Bolger and Kate Wetherhead.
2nd Place Grand Prize & Maryland State Winner
Julia Lucy Grumet,Montgomery County Public Libraries – Bethesda Library, who wrote about “The Lightning Thief” by Rick Riordan.
3rd Place Grand Prize & Pennsylvania State Winner
Mikayla Phasupong,Citizen’s Library, who wrote about “The Sneetches” by Dr. Suess.
Virginia State Winner
Isla Rodriguez, Richmond Public Library – Ginter Park Library, who wrote about “March” by John Lewis.
Washington, D.C. Winner
Abigail Kelso, DC Public Library – Chevy Chase Library, who wrote about “Wonder” by R.J. Palacio.
West Virginia State Winner
Alexia Rahl,Martinsburg-Berkeley County Public Libraries – Martinsburg Public Library, who wrote about “Number the Stars” by Lois Lowry.