For Immediate Release
May 16, 2022

Media Contacts:
Kim Stinebaker
DPWPR
713-305-6602
kim@dpwpr.com

Tony Alves
The Bryan Museum
(409) 497-4209
tony@thebryanmuseum.org

Houston, TX – May 16, 2022 ​- ​iWRITE Literacy Organization​ and The Bryan Museum just announced the 1,000 student winners (3^rd-12^th graders) whose writing or artwork will be published in I Am Texas, a 7 ft. book and attempt to publish the largest book in the world by kids, earning a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title.

The publishing contest, sponsored by H-E-B, gave students the opportunity to enter short stories, poetry and artwork that told their Texas story. 72 school districts and thousands of students across the state of Texas and beyond participated in the contest. The Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation gave book grants in the amount of $5,000 each to the top three schools with the most participation and to fifteen additional classrooms in the amount of $250 each.

The 1,000 winning authors and illustrators will come together for the Phillips 66 I Am Texas Book Signing at the Hilton Americas in Downtown Houston on November 5, 2022 at 5:00 p.m. Guests will be invited to attend the book signing and a gala later that night and have their own copy of the book signed by the student authors and illustrators.

The I Am Texas book will become a part of the New York Times bestselling author and illustrator team Brad Meltzer and Chris Eliopoulos’ Ordinary People Change the World Series. “We hope to inspire kids to become true leaders and the heroes in their own stories. That’s why we created books like  I Am Sacagawea and I Am Neil Armstrong and why we are excited to release I Am Texas with 1,000 kids this fall,” said Meltzer.

Students will get the chance to take pictures with the massive 7 ft. book on display, autograph smaller editions of I Am Texas and even walk a red carpet. Immediately following the book signing, guests will have the chance to bid on the top art pieces published in the book at a donor reception and art auction. During the gala, selected student writers will sit on the Author Panel and answer questions about their work and inspiration (an annual tradition and audience favorite). During the program an official Guinness Book World Record judge will announce if the record was broken.

Featured winners, like the Editor’s Choice recipients will be announced in September by  Brad Meltzer. Those students will read their work on stage. The featured student artists will be chosen by illustrator, Eliopoulos, who is the cover artist of the 7 ft. book. Regional Winners will also be awarded and given four-year scholarships to Schreiner University whose Texas Center college students and faculty came together to judge the contest entries.

“iWRITE has been professionally publishing kids for 13 years, so we wanted to give students a chance to be a part of something BIG! When iWRITE came together with The Bryan (Texas History) Museum, we were able to combine both non-profits’ missions – build student confidence through writing about your Texas story,” said Melissa Williams Murphy, iWRITE Founder and Executive Director of The Bryan Museum. “Something this big was going to take multiple partnerships. After we joined together, the other partnerships fell into place, proving that everything is bigger and better in Texas because we know how to work together to achieve great things!”

Fundraising at the event will support the educational partnership between iWRITE and The Bryan Museum. I Am Texas will become the annual theme for the writing and art contest between the two organizations and the 7 ft. book will go on tour giving students in selected areas of Texas the chance to participate at public readings held at tour locations.

To schedule an interview with any of the 2022 published student authors and illustrators or organizations involved please contact Nicole@iWRITE.org | 713-893-1461 to learn more visit iamtx.org.