Emma Clark Library Announces Winners for the 4th Annual Helen Stein Shack Picture Book Award

Setauket, NY – February 14, 2018 –

Emma Clark Library has announced the winners for the Helen Stein Shack Picture Book Award, a contest which showcases the young writing and artistic talent in the Three Village Community:

First Prize (Grades 7 – 9 category): Racing Star by Rebecca Blumenthal
First Prize (Grades 10 – 12 category): Wally’s Wild Ride by Nicole Freeley
Second Prize (Grades 7 – 9 category): I Can Help! by Eliana Sasson
Second Prize (Grades 10 – 12 category): Freddy the Fish and His First Election Day by Samuel Kim

Racing Star by Rebecca Blumenthal (Murphy Junior High School) follows a boy’s imagination during his bedtime routine. Wally’s Wild Ride by Nicole Freeley (Ward Melville High School) is about a scared dog in an animal shelter and his journey to adoption.

Winning authors will be recognized at a private awards ceremony at Emma Clark Library on Monday, April 23, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. At the reception, each First Prize award recipient will receive a $400 scholarship, each Second Prize award recipient will receive a $100 scholarship, and bound books for all winning entries will be presented and added to the library’s Local Focus Collection. Light refreshments will be served at the reception, and desserts are once again being generously donated by The Bite Size Bake Shop, a local Three Village business. All contest entrants will receive a Certificate of Participation at the awards ceremony.

The Helen Stein Shack Book Contest called for teens in grades 7 through 12 who live in the Three Village Central School District to create a children’s picture book. Each entry could be the work of a single author/illustrator or a collaborative effort of an author and an illustrator. The contest was divided into two grade categories, grades 7 through 9 and grades 10 through 12, with one First Prize Winner and one Second Prize Winner selected from each group.

This award is given in memory of Helen Stein Shack by her family. As a teacher, Mrs. Shack was committed to the education of children, and she especially loved literature written for them. She was a frequent visitor to Emma Clark Library where, even in retirement, she kept current with the latest children’s books. The library is grateful to the children of the late Mrs. Shack who have established a substantial endowment with the library to cover the cost of the winning scholarships.

At last year’s ceremony, Assemblyman Steve Englebright remarked, “Part of the genius of this family’s gift: to make an investment into young people.” Emma Clark Library is thrilled to once again honor these talented and creative teens.

The Emma S. Clark Memorial Library, located at 120 Main Street in Setauket and online at www.emmaclark.org, provides public library service to all residents of the Three Village Central School District.
“The Heart of the Three Village Community”