The Blaine County Journal News-Opinion - We've Got The County Covered

For Montana’s Public Broadcasting Service (MontanaPBS), February meant the highly anticipated launch of the Fred Rogers documentary, Won’t You Be My Neighbor. This award-winning film shares an intimate look at the life and philosophy of America’s favorite television-acclaimed neighbor.

To celebrate the launch of this film, MontanaPBS invites youth (Pre-K - 12) across Montana to take inspiration from the legacy of Fred Rogers and to create submissions for a writing contest that responds to the prompt, “What does it mean to be a good neighbor?” Submissions will be accepted from February 14 to March 14, with the winners being announced by email or phone in early April.

Entries will be judged in groups based on grade level (Pre-K, K, 1, 2, 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12). MontanaPBS will announce one winner from each group for a total of seven exceptional writers from around the state. Because submissions from across the state are accepted, contestants need not to be present to win. MontanaPBS will, however, send winners a framed certificate along with a gift bag of PBS inspired prizes.

Interested students can submit their written work electronically via the form found at https://www.montanapbs.org/events/ILPU/writingcontest2019/ or by printing out the portable data file (pdf) submission form and mailing it along with their written piece to MontanaPBS; ATTN: Nikki Vradenburg, PO Box 173340; Bozeman, MT 59717.

The 2019 Writing Contest is meant to complement the Indie Lens Pop-Up film screening. This is a neighborhood series that brings people together for film screenings and community-driven conversations.

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Featuring documentaries seen on the PBS series Independent Lens, Indie Lens Pop-Up draws local residents, leaders, and organizations together to discuss what matters most, from newsworthy topics to family and relationships.

Writing contest submissions should be no more than 1,000 words (4 pages double spaced). Writing can be primarily art-based if a writer chooses and can include drawings, paintings, collages, 3-D artwork and photos, so long as they are created by the original author.

Although submissions can be on loose paper, bound, stapled or paper-clipped, contest officials recommend that writers consider ease and cost of mailing when finishing their stories. Because MontanaPBS will scan all winning stories, having the stories paper clipped or with a single staple works best. They prefer pages that are no larger than 8.5 x 11 inches.

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Teachers are welcome to submit one written entry on behalf of an entire class. This will count as one group entry. Teachers may also submit many entries from individual students, but they will require individual entry forms for each student.

Anyone with a creative project in mind or having any questions is encouraged to contact the MontanaPBS Teacher Ambassador, Nikki Vradenburg, by calling (406) 994-3437 or (406) 994-6588 or by emailing her at nikki@montanapbs.org.

Local public television serving the state of Montana, the MontanaPBS network is comprised of two University Licensee stations: KUSM-TV in Bozeman and KUFM-TV in Missoula. According to their website, the goal of MontanaPBS is to share diverse stories, connect Montanans, discover common ground, and celebrate the independent spirit and beauty of our state. MontanaPBS further believes that quality television has the power to elevate our understanding of the world, encourage respect for one another, and influence our lives in a positive way.

Contest officials at MontanaPBS look forward to receiving and reading entries for their contest that describe kindness, listening, and learning.