For Other Professionals
2009 Letters from the White House Writing Contest
[This contest is now closed]
We have our winners!
We were thrilled that more than 1,500 students from all over the country sent in letters or journal entries for our Letters from the White House creative writing contest. These students explored the history of America and tapped into their own creativity by imagining and writing about the experience of living or working in the Executive Mansion.
Séances in the Red Room, a ladybug in the punch, and a ticklish rug in the Oval Office are just a few of the things to look forward to reading in the winning entries.
Click on each level below to view the winning entries.
Congratulations to all of our winners!
Level I (PreK and K):
Level II (grades 1-3):
Level III (grades 4-6):
Level IV (grades 7-9):
Level V (grades 10-12):
Thank you to our judges!
Our thanks to our esteemed and knowledgeable judges, Lynda Johnson Robb and Betty C. Monkman, who selected our prize winning entries!
Lynda Johnson Robb is the elder of the two daughters of United States President Lyndon Baines Johnson and his wife Lady Bird Johnson. She served as First Lady of Virginia from 1982 to 1986 and as Second Lady of Virginia from 1978 to 1982. Children's literacy is a strong interest of Mrs. Robb's and she serves on the Board of Reading Is Fundamental, the nation's largest children's literacy organization and the Advisory Board of the National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance.
Betty C. Monkman, White House Curator Emeritus, worked in the White House curator's office beginning in 1967, and served as curator from 1997-2001. She planned and curated the first exhibition on the White House in 1992 and has written numerous articles on White House decorative arts and several books including Treasures of the White House and The Living White House.
Certificates and Prizes
We want to acknowledge the wonderful work of all the students who participated in the Letters from the White House contest. Please feel free to download and print an official Certificate of Participation.
Grand prize winners will receive:
All prize winners will receive a personalized certificate from Reading Rockets, mailed to their home or school.
Letters from the White House is presented by Reading Rockets, AdLit.org, and the National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance (NCBLA) in celebration of Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out, the NCBLA's critically acclaimed publication about American history.
