TORONTO, Jan. 28 /CNW/ - In celebration of the 100th Anniversary of Anne of Green Gables, Penguin Group (Canada) will launch a national letter-writing contest on February 9, 2008, inviting Canadians of all ages to write to Anne Shirley, telling her in 500 words or less, what she means tothem.
The letter-writing contest, an initiative sponsored by Penguin, in partnership with Canwest Raise-A-Reader, Tourism PEI, and Canada Post will open on February 9, 2008, and close on April 30, 2008, marking the publication of three official 100th Anniversary books from Penguin. The books include the highly anticipated prequel, Before Green Gables, by Governor General's Award finalist Budge Wilson. Also to be released from Penguin are Imagining Anne: The Island Scrapbooks of L.M. Montgomery, an elaborate collection showcasing Montgomery's extensive scrapbooks, orchestrated for the first time in one single volume by Montgomery scholar Dr. Elizabeth Epperly, and a special 100th Anniversary Edition of L.M. Montgomery's original Anne of Green Gables, containing a new introduction from two of Montgomery's grandchildren.
The contest is open to residents of Canada. Twenty letters will be selected randomly from four age categories and five will be forwarded to a national jury for adjudication. The national jury will be chaired by Canada's twenty-sixth Governor-General, the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson. Other jury members include bestselling author and Globe and Mail columnist Roy MacGregor; Rogers Fine Print Host Carolyn Weaver; Robert Waite, Senior Vice President, Stakeholder Relations and Brand at Canada Post; Scott Anderson, Senior Vice President, Content for Canwest, and Kate Macdonald Butler, L.M. Montgomery's grand-daughter.
Contest entries will be judged on four criteria: each worth up to 25 points: originality, spelling and grammar, relevance to subject, and style.The winner in each age category will receive a $2,500 travel voucher from The Travel Store for travel to and from Prince Edward Island, courtesy of Tourism PEI. The winners will be invited to visit Charlottetown and Avonlea village, and will receive complimentary tickets to Anne of Green Gables The Musical at the Confederation Centre. Winners and runners-up will also receive a library of Penguin's 100th Anniversary editions, acommemorative stamp to be issued by Canada Post, and a commemorative coin to be issued by The Royal Canadian Mint.
In accepting the appointment to chair the national jury for the letterwriting competition, Adrienne Clarkson said:
"I am delighted to help celebrate the 100th anniversary of Anne of GreenGables by chairing a panel of national judges. It's a terrific idea and I look forward to reading the letters. In my memoir, Heart Matters, I write about how Anne helped me, as a little immigrant girl, become a Canadian. Anne is the most important "character" in my life! Count me in!"
Contest entry forms will also be available at participating retailers including Indigo, Shoppers Drug Mart, Overwaitea, Amazon.ca, CanadaPost.com,and fine bookstores across Canada. Over 300 book displays ship from Penguin's warehouse this week.
Anne of Green Gables has sold 50 million copies worldwide in over twenty different languages since its original publication in 1908. The prequel, Before Green Gables, announced in October, 2006, will be published by Penguin internationally. Japanese rights to the prequel were sold to Shinshosha Publishing for publication in June, 2008.
- "Anne of Green Gables, Before Green Gables and other indica of Anne are trademarks of the Anne of Green Gables Licensing Authority Inc."
- "L.M. Montgomery" and "L.M. Montgomery's signature and cat design" are trademarks of Heirs of L.M. Montgomery Inc.
For further information: Yvonne Hunter, Director, Publicity and
Marketing, Penguin Group Canada, (416) 928-2409, 100 yearsofanne.com; Lynn
Munro, Corporate Affairs, Literacy Programs, CanWest Raise-A-Reader, (204)
953-7765; Nicole Lemire, Manager, Media Relations, Canada Post, (613)
734-8888; Robert Ferguson, Manager of Advertising and Promotion, Tourism PEI,
(902) 368-5522; Shauna Klein, Manager, Marketing & Strategic Alliances, Girl
Guides of Canada, (416) 487-5281 xt. 248; Alexandre Reeves, Manager/Chef,
Communications, Royal Canadian Mint/Monnaie Royale Canadienne, (613) 949-5777
