SAN ANTONIO – An ode to Texas kids is coming in the form of a 7-foot-tall book titled “I Am Texas” — and students are encouraged to take part.
Texas students in grades 3-12 are asked to submit fictional or non-fictional stories, poetry and illustrations that follow the “I Am Texas” theme. Submissions are due by March 2, and they can be made online at iamtx.org.
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The book — which will earn the Guinness World Record of the largest book in the world by kids for kids — will consist of work from 1,000 students.
Students selected for publication will receive a copy of the book and become part of illustrators Brad Meltzer and Christopher Eliopoulos’s “Ordinary People Change the World” series. Kids will also walk the red carpet at the organization’s annual book signing event and official adjudication in Houston on Nov. 5.
There are also prize money and scholarships up for grabs.
Editor’s choice, featured artists and regional winners will receive prize money up to $2,000 and a $20,000 scholarship to be used over four years to Schreiner University.
Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation will award three Texas schools $5,000 and 15 classrooms $250 by having their students participate.
To read more about the awards and prizes, click here.
After the book debuts to the public, it will be displayed permanently at The Bryan Museum in Galveston.
The iWrite Organization, The Byran Museum, illustrators Meltzer and Eliopoulos, H-E-B and Phillips 66 are behind the book.
“iWRITE has been professionally publishing kids for 13 years, and now, with the help of our partners, we are giving kids a chance to be a part of history,” said Melissa Williams Murphy, iWRITE Founder and Executive Director of The Bryan Museum.
Publishing contest sponsor H-E-B has been behind the competition for the last four years, according to a news release.
“H-E-B is proud to partner with a nonprofit that aligns so well with our mission of diversity and inclusion. We love that this contest gives all students the opportunity to share their story and celebrate the unique diversity of Texas through their writing,” said Lisa Helfman, Senior Director of Public Affairs, H-E-B Houston.
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