Students encouraged to enter ‘Letters About Literature in Illinois’ competition

Secretary of State and State Librarian Jesse White is urging students in grades 4 through 12 to enter the 2021 “Letters About Literature in Illinois” competition.

“Letters About Literature in Illinois” is a statewide reading and writing competition offered by the Illinois State Library’s Illinois Center for the Book.

“Letters About Literature in Illinois” invites students to read a book of their choice and write a letter to the author about how the work changed their life or view of the world,” White said in a news release.

“Students can enter on their own or through their schools, libraries or other youth organizations.

“I encourage all our students to take part in the competition and I hope their participation leads to a lifetime of reading.”

There are three levels of participation: Level 1 for grades 4-6, Level 2 for grades 7-8 and Level 3 for grades 9-12. 

The deadline to enter the competition is Tuesday, Dec. 15, for all levels.

One winner will be selected from each group and receive a cash award and a plaque signed by White. 

Teachers of the winning students will receive a certificate and a cash award for their school to purchase books for the library.

Winners will be formally announced in May 2021. All runners-up will receive certificates in May prior to the end-of-the-year award ceremonies.

For more information about the competition, contact Bonnie Matheis at 217-558-2065 or bmatheis@ilsos.gov. 

Information also is available online at http://cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/library/center_for_the_book/.