The Peoria Public Library, alongside The Friends of the Peoria Public Library, has recently celebrated the flourishing of imagination within the youth of the city. On Tuesday, during the City Council Meeting, the library announced the winners of its annual contests geared towards nurturing the artistic and literary talents of young individuals: the Library Card Design contest and the StoryWalk Story Writing contest.
Marking its 19th year, the Library Card Design Contest encouraged children and teens to express their artistic visions under the theme "Adventure Begins at Your Library," resulting in an array of submissions that breathe new life into the very cards that unlock the world of literature. The contests were split into two age groups: kids ages 5-11 and teens ages 12-17. Winning their respective categories, the artists, including youth winner Pranitha Senthil, will now experience the prestige of having their designs adorn Peoria library cards and receive a $100 gift card, according to the official Peoria website announcement.
Meanwhile, the StoryWalk Story Writing Contest aims to shine a spotlight on the burgeoning storytellers of the community. The competition was divided into three age brackets (6-8, 9-10, and 11-12), with the winners having their work showcased at Peoria’s three StoryWalks locations.
Distinguished across three groups, the young authors penned narratives ranging from anthropomorphic escapades to technologically driven plots, with Harper Egea winning 1st Place for "Lucas the Owl" in Group 1, Sierra Sheidenberger with "The Fox Escapes" topping Group 2, and Sedona Sheidenberger again making a mark by seizing 1st Place in Group 3 for "The Test of Tech."
