LOS ANGELES, Sept. 18, 2014 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — A recent national study released by the Children's Book Center noted the significant absence of people of color in children's picture books. Specifically, less than 2 percent of children's books were Latino-themed and only 1.5 percent (or 48 books) of the 3,200 children's works published in 2013 in the U.S. were written by Latino authors. In an effort to change these startling statistics one book at a time, the nationally recognized bilingual literacy campaign, Read Conmigo, is kicking off Hispanic Heritage Month by
introducing the "Preserving our Culture through Bilingual Literacy" contest for budding Latino children's book authors based in the Southern California area. The contest will run through October 31, 2014.
"Having access to culturally relevant and ethnically diverse books is essential for young readers and their families," says Jim Gober, Chairman/CEO of Infinity Property & Casualty Corporation, the parent company of Infinity Auto Insurance. "We are proud to offer this contest as an important bridge between talented Latino authors and young impressionable readers to make books a memorable literary adventure for all, especially during Hispanic Heritage Month."
Participants in the "Preserving our Culture through Bilingual Literacy" contest will compete for an opportunity to have their children's story published. The story must
feature one of several Read Conmigo characters and the winning author(s) will receive $1000 in prize money. Winner(s) will be notified by November 14th.
All manuscripts must be submitted by October 31, 2014 and meet the following criteria:
- Author Profile – Must be from Southern California 18 years old or over, of Latino origin; no prior published work or writing experience necessary
- Target Reader – All submissions should be suitable for reading levels Pre-K through 5th Grade
- Language – Story must be submitted in both English and Spanish
- Characters- Story must include one or more of the Read Conmigo characters
- Word count: Minimum is 400 words; maximum length is 1500 words
To submit a manuscript and for complete rules and contest details visit www.ReadConmigo.org.