Westfield Library Foundation Executive Director Erin Downey wanted to do something special for the Westfield Washington Library’s 120th birthday.
So, the foundation is hosting a children’s book writing contest sponsored by Community First Bank.
“We wanted to have something people could put on their shelves to enjoy,” she said.
Downey said the themes of the children’s book submissions should focus on the library and its birthday. The library, 333 Hoover St., will celebrate its birthday from 2 to 5 p.m. April 15. The winners will be announced at 3 p.m. The foundation will publish the winning entries.
“We want the community to feel they are a part of the celebration and they can leave something long lasting on the shelves of the library,” she said.
The winning entry from each age division will receive a cash prize. The prize for the youth category (ages 6-12) is $100, and the prize for the teen (ages 13-17) and adult categories is $250. A copy of each winning book will be published and placed on the shelves at the library.
Downey said submissions can be traditional storybooks, poems, comic books or graphic novels.
“Last year, we celebrated the library’s birthday throughout April and I did a writing contest and people wrote essays on why they love the library,” Downey said. “We got a huge response last year.”
Downey said if the book needs to be illustrated, the library will use a student artist to help illustrate it.
The contest rules are as follows: Submission must be a children’s story; author must be a resident of Westfield; and the book must be 30 pages or less.
Submissions are due by midnight April 1. Participants can submit entries at the library’s front desk or via email at [email protected]. Applications can be found at bit.ly/3HGyPDk.
