Winter Story Summit Announces Reading Is Fundamental Scholarship for Best Children’s Story
Story Summits announced its Reading is Fundamental Scholarship for Best Children’s Manuscript for the Winter Story Summit in February, 2020. Reading is Fundamental is the largest non-profit children’s literacy organization in the United States.
Story Summits are conducted seasonally and attended by an international group of writers of all ages and experiences to encourage excellence in craft, creativity, and community.
“Children’s stories may be the most important stories of all,” says Ed DeLeon, Chief Program Officer for Reading is Fundamental. “It’s where young ones are introduced to love, hope and imagination. Reading is Fundamental is delighted to encourage the storytellers of tomorrow.”
The full tuition scholarship from Reading is Fundamental will provide full access for the winner and his/or her guest to the Winter Story Summit. Projects must at least 300 words or more. This is a change from the original guidelines of 1500 words. Because as Kirkpatrick says, both Where The Wild Things Are (236 words) and The Giving Tree (661 words) would have been ineligible!”
Stories can not have been previously published or self-published, and need to be targeted for children twelve and under.
“Science has shown again and again that outside of a mother’s love, the most important aspect to a child’s intellectual development and emotional intelligence is to have someone reading to them,” says David Kirkpatrick, Founder of the Story Summit, and a former Production Chief of Walt Disney Pictures. “We are delighted to be celebrating these writers alongside Reading is Fundamental in protecting the future’s most important commodity — our children.”
The winner of the full tuition scholarship will be mentored by Debra Engle and Tab Murphy. Debra Engle is a best-selling author with her new novel, Twenty, in bookstores in January 2020. Tab Murphy in a screenwriter who wrote several Disney animated classics including Tarzan, Brother Bear, and The Hunchback on Notre Dame. “To have Deb Engle and Tab Murphy mentoring aspiring children’s writers is beyond exciting,” says Ed DeLeon of Reading is Fundamental.
To learn more about the Story Summit’s Reading is Fundamental Scholarship or to register and upload your unpublished story, go here.
To accommodate the holidays, applications now close Sunday, December 22, 2019 at midnight Pacific-Time.
Story Summits refresh and inspire gifted writers in an immersive and inviting global setting. A stimulating community of successful writers guide Summit participants in completing writing projects, the goal being to launch scripts and novels as commercial products. Go here for more information on the summits.
About Reading Is Fundamental
Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) is committed to a literate America by inspiring a passion for reading among all children, providing quality content to create impact, and engaging communities in the solution to give every child the fundamentals for success. As the nation’s largest nonprofit organization for children’s literacy, RIF has provided more than 416 million books to 50 million kids in all 50 states, inspiring generations to read, learn and grow.
