Public invited to vote online from May 12-19
PITTSBURGH – WQED is happy to announce the finalists of its 2023 WQED Writers Contest. Partnering with WQED on its Writers Contest this year are The City of Pittsburgh and the Amelia Miles Foundation. Sixteen stories were chosen from almost 400 received from throughout Pennsylvania, and several states throughout the country, from New Jersey to California.
The public will be invited to vote May 12 to May 19 for the “Reader’s Choice Winner.” All finalists’ stories will be available to read and listen to via WQED’s Writers Contest page at wqed.org/writemyfuture. Winners of 2023 Writers Contest will be announced at a winners’ celebration on May 20th, 2023 and awarded prizes. Look for the results at wqed.org/writemyfuture.
The 2023 Finalists are:
KINDERGARTEN
Rohan Kumar (Gibsonia, PA)
Mason Merriman (Pittsburgh, PA)
Shraddha Ramakrishan (Cary, NC)
Jackson Reese (Ebensburg, PA)
FIRST GRADE
Santoshi Amarnath (San Jose, CA)
Lucy Blobner (Pittsburgh, PA)
Gia Gaudiano (Uniontown, PA)
Avery Munsch (Cheswick, PA)
SECOND GRADE
Andrew Chen (Princeton, NJ)
Audrina DiRenzo (Sewickley, PA)
Lipi Kairi (Pittsburgh, PA)
Quinn McKee (Allison Park, PA)
THIRD GRADE
Lilianne Amber (Uniontown, PA)
Milo Bhushan (Mt. Pleasant, SC)
Xavier Kopec (Masontown, PA)
Edith “edie” Richards (Pittsburgh, PA)
About WQED
WQED was an experiment in educational community-supported television that was the forerunner to PBS. Today, WQED is a multimedia powerhouse that is as much a part of Pittsburgh as the three rivers. WQED is WQED-TV (PBS); WQED World; WQED Create; WQED Showcase; WQED PBS KIDS Channel; Classical WQED-FM 89.3/Pittsburgh; Classical WQEJ-FM 89.7/Johnstown; the Pittsburgh Concert Channel at WQED-HD2 (89.3-2FM) and online; streaming and apps, and WQED Interactive.
WQED is a premier leader in broadcast and digital video production, producing socially relevant, historical, arts, entertainment and educational programming resources. WQED’s Learning Neighborhood model creates an education continuum dedicated to serving our youngest neighbors through Ready To Learn programming, while engaging high school students learning filmmaking and exploring employment opportunities through the WQED Film Academy.
About The City of Pittsburgh
The City of Pittsburgh is a proud sponsor of the WQED Writers Contest: Write My Future. With the mission and vision of the City of Pittsburgh in mind, our department of Human Resources and Civil Service is committed to developing a highly functioning workforce while respecting individual dignity, promoting and celebrating a diverse population, upholding applicable laws and regulations, and molding a positive work culture. Focusing our efforts on recruiting the best and brightest talent in the city that will lead us to eliminating barriers and creating access to quality employment for all. As we continue to build a city of thriving people, we look towards the future of our young learners to pave the way!