The following is a release from the Secretary of Washington State:

An annual national contest encouraging students to write about a favorite or influential book is under way.

The Letters About Literature competition encourages young readers to write letters to their favorite authors, living or dead, and explain how a particular book by an author changed their view of the world or themselves. The contest, co-sponsored by the Washington State Library, is for schoolchildren and homeschooled students in grades 4-12.

“Books inspire kids and open new worlds to them, and that’s what this contest is all about,” said Secretary of State Kim Wyman. “I encourage all students to read because it’s so fundamental to learning and it gives them a strong foundation to succeed in school and life. Letters About Literature allows kids to think about how a favorite book touches them and then put their thoughts and feelings into words. I’m amazed by the many wonderful, heartwarming letters submitted over the years, and I look forward to reading more thanks to this year’s contest.”

State Librarian Rand Simmons says Letters About Literature is a favorite program for him and the State Library staff.

“We’re very pleased that the contest has grown in popularity over the past decade,” Simmons said. “Many teachers encourage their students to take part, and we hope that even more kids write and enter a letter this year. It’s amazing how books can touch students and help them view the world in a different way.”

Students enter the contest by writing a personal letter to an author, explaining how his or her work shaped the students’ perspective on the world or themselves. Students can write about works of fiction, nonfiction, or poetry. They cannot write about music lyrics. Entries in Spanish will be accepted and translated for the Washington state judges.

Letter writers compete at three levels: Level 1 for grades 4-6; Level 2 for grades 7-8; and Level 3 for grades 9-12. Entrants must be at least 9 years old. One letter from each level from each state is entered into the national competition.

There are two deadlines for this year’s contest: All Level 3 entries must be postmarked by Dec. 15. All entries for Levels 1 and 2 must be postmarked by Jan. 15, 2015.

The state’s winners will be announced in April. A ceremony to honor the Washington champions, runners-up and honorable mentions will be held at the State Capitol in Olympia later in the spring.

About 4,245 Washington students went through the judging process in the last competition. Nearly 100 schools across the state had entries.

The contest’s other sponsors include the Office of Secretary of State and the Center for the Book, operated by the Library of Congress. The State Library is a division of the Office of Secretary of State.

An entry coupon must accompany each letter. Entry coupons and guidelines can be found at.

http://www.sos.wa.gov/_assets/library/lal/LALGuidelines2015.pdf.

Completed forms should be stapled to the last page of the letter. Entries should be mailed to:

Letters About Literature Contest

Competition Level (Indicate Level 1, 2 or 3)

P.O. Box 5308

Woodbridge, VA 22194

State judges select each level’s top letter writer, who receives a cash award and advances to the national competition.

For more information about the contest, contact the State Library’s Crystal Lentz at (360) 704-5275 or crystal.lentz@sos.wa.gov.