National Kids-in-Print Book Contest for Students facts for kids

The National Kids-in-Print Book Contest for Students is a special writing and illustrating competition. It is for young people who create their own books. This contest is run by Landmark House, a company in Kansas City, Kansas. David Melton, who worked for the company, started the contest.

History of the Contest

Landmark House began this contest in the mid-1980s. Back then, it was called The National Written and Illustrated by... Awards Contest for Students. It ran every year until 1999.

The contest took a break for a few years. This happened because schools and libraries were having money problems. This meant they bought fewer books from Landmark House.

In 2006 and 2007, the company brought the contest back. It was renamed the David Melton Memorial Written and Illustrated by... Contest for Students. This new name honored David Melton, who had started the contest. After that, it changed to its current name, the National Kids-in-Print Book Contest for Students.

Amazing Young Winners

Many talented young writers and illustrators have won awards in this contest. They created wonderful books that were published. Here are some of the winners from different age groups over the years:

Winners from 1985 to 1998

• 1985:
  • The Dragon of Ord by David McAdoo
  • Walking Is Wild, Weird and Wacky by Karen Kerber
• 1986:
  • Strong and Free by Amy Hagstrom (Ages 6–9)
  • Me and My Veggies by Isaac Whitlatch (Ages 10–13)
  • World War Won by Dav Pilkey (Ages 14–19)
• 1987:
  • Joshua Disobeys by Dennis Vollmer (Ages 6–9)
  • The Half & Half Dog by Lisa Gross (Ages 10–13)
  • Who Owns the Sun? by Stacy Chbosky (Ages 14–19)
• 1988:
  • Who Can Fix It? by Leslie Ann MacKeen (Ages 6–9)
  • Elmer the Grump by Elizabeth Haidle (Ages 10–13)
  • Taddy McFinley and the Great Grey Grimly by Heidi Salter (Ages 14–19)
• 1989:
  • Problems at the North Pole by Lauren Peters (Ages 6–9)
  • The Legend of Sir Miguel by Michael Cain (Ages 10–13)
  • We Are a Thunderstorm by Amity Gaige (Ages 14–19)
  • Broken Arrow Boy by Adam Moore (Gold Award)
  • Get That Goat! by Michael Aushenker (Gold Award)
• 1990:
  • Oliver and the Oil Spill by Aruna Chandrasekhar (Ages 6–9)
  • A Stone Promise by Cara Reichel (Ages 14–19)
  • Patulous, the Prairie Rattlesnake by Jonathan Kahn (Gold Award)
  • Too Much Trick or Treat by Jayna Miller (Gold Award)
• 1991:
  • Punt, Pass & Point! by Alise Leggat (Ages 6–9)
  • Nina's Magic by Lisa Butenhoff (Ages 10–13)
  • Jambi and the Lions by Jennifer Brady (Ages 14–19)
• 1992:
  • Alien Invasions by Benjamin Kendall (Ages 6–9)
  • Fogbound by Steven Shepard (Ages 10–13)
  • Changes by Travis Williams (Ages 14–19)
  • Abracadabra by Amy Jones (Gold Award)
  • A Special Day by Dubravka Kolanovic (Gold Award)
• 1993:
  • Thomas Raccoon's Fantastic Airshow by Shintaro Maeda (Ages 6–9)
  • The Sunflower by Miles MacGregor (Ages 10–13)
  • The Shadow Shop by Kristin Pedersen (Ages 14–19)
• 1994:
  • Bright Eyes and the Buffalo Hunt by Laura Hughes (Ages 6–9)
  • Critter Crackers: The ABC Book of Limericks by Kathryn Barron (Ages 10–13)
  • Glory Trail by Taramesha Maniatty (Ages 14–19)
• 1995:
  • Circus Adventures by Lindsey Wolter (Ages 6–9)
  • The Timekeeper by Anna Riphahn (Ages 10–13)
  • Darius, the Lonely Gargoyle by Micha Estlack (Ages 14–19)
• 1996:
  • Mouse Surprise by Alexandra Whitney (Ages 6–9)
  • Don't Bug Me! by Gillian McHale (Ages 10–13)
  • The Incredible Jelly Bean Day by Taylor Maw (Ages 14–19)
• 1997:
  • Summer Discovery by Drew Carson (Ages 6–9)
  • The Mists of Eden: Nature's Last Paradise by Erica Sherman (Ages 10–13)
  • The Pigs Went Marching Out! by Justin Rigamonti (Ages 14–19)
• 1998:
  • The Adventures of Bob and Red by David Barron (Ages 6–9)
  • This One's for You! by Zach Dillon (Ages 10–13)
  • The Moas by Katie Beck (Ages 14–19)
  • Fluffy by Danielle Johnson (Gold Award)

Winners from 2006 to 2007

• 2006:
  • Slime for a Dragon by Daniel Carr (Ages 6–9)
  • The Legend of How Kansas Got Chipped by Corina White (Ages 10–13)
  • Mrs. McFig and the Very Big Wig by David Miles (Ages 14–19)
  • Ickypoo by Thomas Yu (Gold Award)
  • Eva's Story by Phoebe Unterman (Gold Award)
  • Spirit of the Amazon by Thornton Blease (Gold Award)
• 2007:
  • Trail to Victory Mountain by Sora Nithikasem (Ages 6–9)
  • Berrie the Bear by Gina S. DeCagna (Ages 10–13)
  • Just a Bit of String by N/A (Ages 14–19)
  • Coyotes by Gabriella Macioci (Gold Award)

Other Writing Contests

If you enjoy writing, there are many other contests you might like to explore:

• Lune Spark Young Writers' Short Story Contest
• PBS Kids Writers Contest
• National Novel Writing Month
• Three-Day Novel Contest