The 2013 Letters About Literature contest has begun! Please download and print the guidelines and entry form to learn how to enter. The deadline for the competition is January 11, 2013.

The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, in cooperation with affiliate state centers for the book, invites readers in grades 4 through 10 to participate in Letters About Literature, a national reading-writing contest. To enter, readers write a personal letter to an author, living or dead, explaining how that author's work changed the student's way of thinking about the world or themselves.   
 
There are three competition levels: Level I for children in grades 4 through 6; Level II for grades 7 and 8, and Level III, grades 9 - 10. Oregon selects one winner at each competition level.  The three winners then go on to participate nationally. Oregon's winners are announced in April and a reception is held in their honor.  
  
The Center for the Book was established in 1977 as a public-private partnership to use the resources of the Library of Congress to stimulate public interest in books and reading. For information about its activities and national reading promotion networks, visit www.loc.gov/cfbook. 
 
For more information, visit the national Letters About Literature website, or email or call (503-378-5011) Jennifer Maurer.

National Letters About Literature prizes have changed for the 2013 reading and writing contest. Judges for the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress will select three national winners (one per competition level) who will each receive a $1,000 cash award and 3 national second place winners (one per competition level) who will each receive a $150 cash award.

In Oregon, prizes will remain the same as in the past. Local judges will select one winner and one runner-up at each competition level. Judges select honorable mentions and semi-finalists at their discretion; therefore, the number varies from year to year. In 2012, Oregon had 8 honorable mentions and 56 semi-finalists. The three Oregon winners received a check for $100, three runners-up received a check for $50, honorable mentions received a $25 bookstore gift certificate, and semi-finalists received a $10 bookstore gift certificate.  

In 2012, one of the national honor award recipients was from Oregon. Lucia Hadella, a national Level III honor award winner, selected Phoenix High School library to receive the $1,000 grant from Target. Lucia's letter is a great example to share with young readers interested in entering future Letters About Literature contests. You may read her letter or watch this video of her reading it aloud.

In 2011, Brecca Marvin from Vale, OR was featured on the national Letters About Literature envelope art web page. While creating artistic envelopes is not a requirement for entering this reading and writing contest, many students put a lot of their talent into it and deserve to have their hard work recognized.
 
In 2009, two of the national honor award recipients were from Oregon. Erikka Potts, a national Level II honor award winner, selected Parkrose Middle School library to receive the $1,000 grant from Target. Y Thien Hoang, a national Level III honor award winner, selected St. Mary's Academy library to receive the $1,000 grant from Target. The letters Y and Erikka wrote are wonderful examples to share with young readers interested in entering future Letters About Literature contests. 
 
In 2008, one of the national winners from competition Level I (4th-6th grade) was from Oregon.  Hunter Hastings selected the library at Cal Young Middle School to receive the $10,000 grant from Target. Hunter's letter is an excellent example for students thinking about entering future Letters About Literature contests. It is well-written, but most importantly, it is written straight from his heart. 

Bookmarks 
Letters About Literature bookmarks present information specific to state-level prizes in Oregon. Print double-sided, five bookmarks per standard 8.5 X 11 inch paper. They were developed by the Oregon Center for the Book, with official graphics from the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress.   
 
Stickers 
Stickers provide a link to the national Letters About Literature website, and can also be used to promote the contest each year. Print on standard Avery labels, 5294 Round, 2.5 inches diameter. (Printing of the stickers was successfully tested, but may not print properly from every machine. Be sure to test one page before printing large quantities.) They were developed by the Oregon Center for the Book, with official graphics from the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. 

2012 Winning Letters
2011 Winning Letters
2010 Winning Letters 
2009 Winning Letters 
2008 Winning Letters
2007 Winning Letters
2006 Winning Letters
2005 Winning Letters
2004 Winning Letters
2003 Winning Letters
2002 Winning Letters
2001 Winning Letters
2000 Winning Letters
1998 Winning Letters