New Hampshire students have the opportunity to participate in Letters about Literature, a reading promotion grant program that awards cash prizes and Target gift cards, and may also bring as much as $10,000 to their school or community library.
A national writing contest for readers 9 yearsold or older in grades 4 through 12, Letters About Literature is sponsored by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, in partnership with Target. In New Hampshire, the program is coordinated by the Center for the Book at the New Hampshire State Library.
To participate, students write a personal letter to an author, explaining how his or her work changed their view of the world or of themselves. Young readers can select authors from any genre.
The deadline for entries is Dec. 10. Entries must include the required entry coupon. The coupon, contest rules and more information are available at nhbookcenter.org.
For the competition, a panel of New Hampshire judges will select the top letters in the state in each of three competition levels: level one for grades 4 through 6, level two for grades 7 and 8 and level three for grades 9 through 12. New Hampshire winners receive $100 and a $50 Target gift card. Winning then advance for national judging.
At the national level, judges select six winners and 12 honorable mention winners. National winners receive a $500 Target gift card plus each will secure a $10,000 Letters About Literature Reading Promotion Grant in their name for a community or school library. National honorable mention winners will receive a $100 Target giftcard and a $1,000 grant in their name.
