MEDIA KIT. /kidswrite4kids. /kidswrite4kids.

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1 MEDIA KIT /kidswrite4kids /kidswrite4kids

2 Get to Know Our Challenge No matter how the story starts, we just want to see kids start writing Kids Write 4 Kids (KW4K) is a creative writing challenge for authors in grades 4-8. Each year, the winning story (stories) will be published both in print and digitally for the world to read. The annual Kids Write 4 Kids creative challenge encourages youth to read and write. We are excited to launch our fourth annual creative challenge. Submissions open October 1, 2015 and close March 31, Net proceeds from the sale of all the KW4K books sold in 2016 will be donated to the school(s) of this year s authors. Stories can be prose or poetry, fiction or nonfiction, with a minimum of 500 words and a maximum of 7,500 words. Authors are not limited by themes or prompts for their stories. The winning participant(s) will have an opportunity to sit on the following year s judging panel. Over the last three years, our judges have selected eight authors to publish. All books are available for purchase at the Amazon Kindle Store, Apple ibookstore and Kobo Bookstore. They are also available in print through Amazon. Digital copies are sold for $3.99 each and printed copies are $9.99 each. The value of the donation to the winner s school will depend on the number of KW4K books sold in All entries must be submitted electronically to be considered for publication. Contest entries are accepted online at ripplepublishing.ca and can be submitted by the author s teacher, parent or guardian. 2

3 About Ripple Foundation At Ripple Foundation we believe that creativity, education and imagination are key components to success. Our dedication to fostering these areas in the lives of youth across Canada has been at the heart of our foundation since its inception in The Ripple Foundation mandate is to fund, develop and facilitate initiatives that raise awareness of and promote creativity and education in youth across the country. More information can be found at To encourage everyone to write and be creative, Ripple Digital Publishing developed Next Sentence, an app for all ages where people can write stories together, as a group. Find out more at www. nextsentence.ca. More information can be found at About the Founder Entrepreneur Ivy Wong is the founder of the Ripple Foundation and Ripple Digital Publishing Ltd. Due to the success of Kids Write 4 Kids, Ivy registered Ripple Foundation as an official not-for-profit organization to spearhead Kids Write 4 Kids. She launched Ripple with the intention of giving back to her community in a way that would profit from her skill-set in graphic and digital media design. She envisioned a creative challenge that would shine a spotlight on children s creativity through their published stories. She chose writing as the creative medium to avoid excluding those who could not express themselves visually or musically. Though she began, alone stuffing envelopes addressed to school boards in her living room, she now has a team of over 30 volunteers helping to inspire young writers. 3

4 Winners Mika s Fortune Written by Faith Emiry Would it really be fortunate if cookies held the keys to our future? A mother and her daughter find out, in this magical story by Faith Emiry. About the Author Faith Emiry was born and raised in rural Northern Ontario where her family operates a dairy farm and a strawberry patch. Her interests include social justice, photography, dodgeball, public speaking, and travel. Faith has been writing stories for her younger sister for a number of years. Her stories are most often lively, funny adventures based on everyday life. Mika s Fortune was inspired by Faith s annoyance in finding disappointing fortunes inside fortune cookies. When she is not reading or writing, Faith can be found at 4H events or spending time with her beloved cousin, Shasta, to whom this book is dedicated. Escape from the Taco Shop Written by Christopher Smolej Do you like stories with a little extra kick? Check out Christopher Smolej s spicy tale of freedom-fighting fast food. About the Author Christopher Smolej loves to read, and thinks every book is better when it has some humour in it. When not reading, Christopher enjoys cartooning, video gaming and playing hockey and soccer. Other than that, he can be found learning his dad s first language, Slovenian. He lives in Toronto with his parents and three siblings, Sean, Stephen and Alison. This is Christopher s first of (hopefully) many books, and he wishes that everyone could understand the true awesomeness of reading a book. 4 Kids Write 4 Kids Media Kit pr@kidswrite4kids.ca

5 A Truly Gross Adventure This is a collection of poetry. I wish poetry like this was read in school because I like it a lot more than the poems we have to read. It was so much fun to read the poems out loud because they re so silly and gross! I learned some new words too. The poems were all really funny and entertaining. Alexey C., age 8, grade 3 Why the Peacock has Colorful Feathers Why the Peacock Has Colourful Feathers is a wonderful shining gem among the KW4K E-books. It is a small but beautiful and powerful story, more like a folk-tale. It is short and sweet, but I believe it is comparable to the West Indian Anansi the Spider series of folk tales about animal origins. Book Review from Laurie Fisher, reader Escape from the Taco Shop It is a very appealing book for the children between 10 and 13. It was a pleasure to read. Book Review from Amazon user Anne Garland The Wish Really enjoyed reading this book and I will share with jmy (sic) nieces! Good work Hannah! Book Review from ibooks user TrishaVan Kids Write 4 Kids Media Kit pr@kidswrite4kids.ca 5

6 Media Links Above: Safaa Ali Young Author In the Media The London Link/The Link Canada: llinkv3i6/14 Right: Local Kid Becomes Published Author Whitecourt Star newspaper: whitecourtstar.com/2013/06/17/localkid-becomes-published-author Interview with founder Ivy Wong Rogers TV Daytime: 6 Kids Write 4 Kids Media Kit pr@kidswrite4kids.ca

7 KW4K YouTube Channel: Meet the Authors with 2015 contest winner Christopher Smolej, author of Escape from the Taco Shop.» Meet the Authors with 2013 contest winner Hannah Reenie, author of The Wish» Meet the Authors with 2013 contest winner Leah Oster, author of Half Asleep» Meet the Authors with 2013 contest winner Safaa Ali, author of Why Peacocks Have Colourful Feathers» Kids Write 4 Kids Media Kit pr@kidswrite4kids.ca 7

8 FAQs What is the purpose of Kids Write 4 Kids (KW4K)? To promote a love of stories, reading and writing. Kids Write 4 Kids is a literacy initiative intended to encourage a love of words that may be on the decline among today s tech-native children. Are there any entry fees? Entry and publication through the Kids Write 4 Kids contest are free. Does KW4K have any partners? KW4K is currently financed by Ripple Digital Publishing and has no thirdparty partners or supporters. How old do children need to be to apply? Participants must be registered in grades four through eight. Where do the proceeds from book sales go? Proceeds from book sales are donated to the winner (or winners) school(s). How many winners are chosen? Entries are scored based on a point system. If multiple entries have the same or a very close score, then all win the contest. Who judges the contest? The contest is judged by a changing panel of judges each year. Judges include previous winners (youth!) and other book-lovers that include teachers and book publishing people. How often does the contest run? KW4K is an annual contest, starts on Oct. 1st and ends on the following year of March 31st. Who does the artwork for the books? Ripple Digital Publishing, at no cost for the winner. Is KW4K a not-for-profit organization? Yes, Ripple Foundation registered as a not-for-profit organization in KW4K is a non-profit initiative from Ripple Foundation. Who manages the contest? The contest is managed by Ivy Wong from Ripple and a dedicated team of volunteers passionate about children s literacy. What are the contest s rules? Complete contest rules can be found on our website at We implement as few restrictions as possible in order to remove barriers to participation for children. How can I make an interview request? To request an interview with a previous winner, a judge, the contest s founder, or a volunteer, please pr@kidswrite4kids.ca. How can I read the winning stories? For review copies, please ivy@ripplepublishing.ca. All KW4K stories are available for sale at Apple ibookstore, Amazon Kindle and Kobo. 8 Kids Write 4 Kids Media Kit pr@kidswrite4kids.ca

9 Contact Info t Please any inquiries to More info can be found at Get in Touch Kids Write 4 Kids Media Kit pr@kidswrite4kids.ca 9