PBS Kids VIP, Television

PBS Kids YouTube Channel and Writer’s Contest Announcement

I received information about a couple of great announcements from PBS Kids. PBS Kids has officially launched their own PBS Kids Branded YouTube Channel. See the video below as a welcome to the new channel. The channel is aimed towards children age 2-8 and their parents.

In recent years, the average amount of time children spend using mobile devices has tripled* and they continue to stream videos on increasingly varied platforms. Having a greater presence on YouTube will make it even easier for more families to access programming from the number-one kids’ educational media brand.

At launch, PBS KIDS’ YouTube channel will include hundreds of clips and promotional videos from popular PBS KIDS series, such as DANIEL TIGER’S NEIGHBORHOOD, PEG + CAT, WILD KRATTS, ARTHUR, MARTHA SPEAKS, WORDGIRL and PBS KIDS’ newest series, ODD SQUAD. In addition, viewers can watch full episodes on YouTube from web original series, including FIZZY’S LUNCH LAB, OH NOAH!, RUFF RUFFMAN: HUMBLE MEDIA GENIUS, CHUCK VANDERCHUCK’S “SOMETHING SOMETHING” EXPLOSION and PLUM LANDING. New content will be added to the channel weekly.

* Zero to Eight: Children’s Media Use in America (Common Sense Media)

The second big announcement is for the annual PBS KIDS Writers Contest! Click Read More for information on the contest.

The Writers Contest is designed to promote the advancement of children’s literacy skills through hands-on, active learning. The contest is open to children in grades K-3 and encourages creative thinking and storytelling, while building literacy skills through the creation and illustration of original stories.

To enter, kids can submit stories to their local stations, and local winners will then be entered into the national contest. National winners will be announced during the summer of 2015, and the winning stories will be featured on pbskids.org/writerscontest.

This year, the judges include acclaimed writers, producers and children’s media creators, including Marc Brown, author and illustrator of the ARTHUR book series, and the Kratt Brothers, Martin and Chris, from the PBS KIDS show WILD KRATTS. The national winners will receive prize packages including ARTHUR books and a personal technology device courtesy of PBS.

To enter the contest and for more information on entry rules and contest resources, visit pbskids.org/writerscontest or your local PBS station website. Additional information is below.

How the Contest Works
PBS stations throughout the country will collaborate with schools, public libraries and other community-based organizations to present the PBS KIDS Writers Contest in local communities. Each station will select local winners and award prizes.

The local winners will then be entered into the national contest, and a panel of esteemed judges will rank the top 12 entries. National winners will be announced during the summer of 2015, and the winning stories will be featured on pbskids.org/writerscontest.

The national winners will receive prize packages including ARTHUR® books courtesy of national prizing sponsor, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and a personal technology device courtesy of PBS. The PBS KIDS Writers Contest is produced by PBS and based on the Reading Rainbow® Young Writers and Illustrators Contest, a concept developed by WNED-TV, Buffalo.

National Judges
This year’s panel of national judges includes the following acclaimed writers, producers and children’s media creators:

  • Billy Aronson, creator, PEG + CAT
  • Marc Brown, author and illustrator, ARTHUR book series
  • Martin Kratt, creator and co-executive producer, WILD KRATTS
  • Chris Kratt, creator and co-executive producer, WILD KRATTS
  • Tim McKeon, creator, co-executive producer and head writer, ODD SQUAD
  • Jennifer Oxley, creator, PEG + CAT
  • Adam Peltzman, creator, co-executive producer and writer, ODD SQUAD

To learn more about the judging panel, visit pbskids.org/writerscontest.

Creative Writing Resources
To help young writers get started, PBS KIDS offers a robust set of resources for children, parents and teachers. Story ideas and activity sheets, along with the previous winning entries, are available on the contest website to inspire children during the brainstorming process. PBS LearningMedia is also offering a collection of online teacher resources for use in classrooms nationwide.

To enter the contest and for more information on entry rules and contest resources, visit pbskids.org/writerscontest or your local PBS station website.