The National Reading Campaign is pleased to announce the winners of the #whatdidyoureadtoday? contests. The contests, one for the general public and one for children, were held in November & December 2012 as part of the NRC’s campaign to promote reading for pleasure.
The 10 winners of the contest for the general public are: Josh Siemens, Waldheim, SK; Kathy Whelan McNiff, London, ON; Jill Dean, Saskatoon, SK; Mark Young, London, ON; Charlotte Brotschi, Toronto, ON; Margaret MacDonald, Lethbridge, AB; Michael Donnelly, Toronto, ON; Natalie Brea Van Apeldorn, Vancouver, BC; Hannah Hoogendam, London, ON; and Dave Binsette, Tecumseh, ON. They had been invited to tweet their answer to #whatdidyoureadtoday? for a chance to win a Glo e-reader, generously provided by Kobo. In recognition of the thousands of enthusiastic entries, Kobo donated an additional $10,000 to the National Reading Campaign.
The contest for children involved thousands of kids from Nanaimo to Halifax. They were proud to share what they were reading from novels to newspapers, from comments on videos to text messages. Teachers and librarians helped create vibrant displays and tweeted them to the National Reading Campaign. The winning schools & libraries are: Taylor Evans Public School in Guelph, ON; Woodhaven Middle School, Spruce Grove, AB; Vancouver Island Regional Library (Nanaimo Harbourfront Branch), Nanaimo, BC; Cardiff Elementary School, Cardiff, ON; Maple Leaf School, Winnipeg, MB; Torquay Elementary School, Victoria, BC; James McQueen Public School, Ajax, ON; Shediac Library, Shediac, NB; Montreal Children’s Library (Jean Rivard Branch), Montreal, PQ; and Lord Elgin Public School, Fergus, ON.
Each winner will receive $1000 worth of Canadian books for their school or library. The National Reading Campaign is grateful to the following publishers for contributing prizes: Annick Press, Cormorant Books, Fitzhenry & Whiteside Publishers, Groundwood Books, Hachette Canada, Harlequin, Harper Collins Canada, Kids Can Press, Nimbus Publishing, Orca Book Publishers, Pajama Press, Penguin Books, Random House, Scholastic, Second Story Press, Simon & Schuster, and Tradewind Books.
The contests may be over, but the National Reading Campaign is just beginning!
Keep up the excellent work. In my 50 years of experience as a writer, the one huge difference between an educated person and someone who is not informed is READING, pure and simple. You can count on our magazine to support you along the way.
Tony Curcio
Senior Writer and News Editor
Graphic Arts Magazine
(416) 306-2491