Meet Heidi, Our Newest Magellanic Penguin

Penguin Chick Story-Writing Contest

The Aquarium of the Pacific would like to invite students from Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside Counties to compete in a story-writing contest about penguins.

Meet Heidi, our newest Magellanic Penguin

Background Information: Heidi hatched at the Aquarium in June and spent her first month behind-the-scenes. Now that Heidi has replaced her downy newborn feathers with water-tight adult feathers, she has joined her parents and the other penguins in the June Keyes Penguin Habitat. Heidi will eventually grow to be two-and-a-half feet tall and weigh between six and fifteen pounds. Magellanic Penguins, like Heidi’s parents Roxy and Floyd, spend their time on rocky and sandy beaches, like those on the coast of Brazil, where Roxy was rescued. They dive into chilly water in search of squid, fish, and krill. At the Aquarium, you can watch our penguins waddle around their rocky habitat and swim gracefully through the water. You can also see them on our live penguin webcam and see how they spend their days.

Story Contest Guidelines

Task: Are you inspired by Heidi, her parents, and all of our Magellanic Penguins? If so, tell us your penguin story. Below are suggestions on what components make a good story:

•a beginning, middle, and end

•a central event, like a conflict or discovery

•characters who change or learn a lesson

•illustrations that help tell the tale

•sensory language (sight, smell, hearing, taste, touch)

•dialogue

•figurative language (similes, metaphors, onomatopoeia, alliteration, hyperbole)

Stories must be original pieces, have a penguin theme, and be no longer than 500 words. Stories must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. PST on October 19, 2013. Only one entry per person will be accepted. Winners will be notified via e-mail by November 1, 2013.

Prizes

GRADES 3 – 5

One winner from this grade category will receive four tickets to the Aquarium of the Pacific and a behind-the-scenes encounter with a penguin.

GRADES 6 – 8

One winner from this grade category will receive four tickets to the Aquarium of the Pacific and a behind-the-scenes encounter with a penguin.

GRADES 9 – 12

One winner from this grade category will receive four tickets to the Aquarium of the Pacific and a behind-the-scenes encounter with a penguin.

GRAND PRIZE

One grand prize winner from the classroom submissions will receive a free field trip to the Aquarium of the Pacific for his or her class (up to fifty kids). Admission and busing (standard school bus size, not to exceed $500) will be included for the entire class.

Judging

Our panel of judges will select the most creative, well-written, inspiring, and compelling penguin stories. All decisions are in the judges’ complete discretion and are final.