Media centre
WrestleMania Reading Challenge returns to the ring
17 Sep 2008
This week World Wrestling Entertainment® (WWE®) and the National Literacy Trust (NLT) are relaunching the WrestleMania® Reading Challenge with the aim of encouraging children to read.
This competition, now in its second year, offers school children the opportunity to win a trip to see their favourite WWE Superstars in action next April at the globally renowned WrestleMania XXV.
The challenge invites primary and secondary school children from Reading Champion schools to read five books, comics or magazines. After completing the reading challenge, each student is asked to submit a short 100-word piece of writing persuading a WWE Superstar to read their favourite piece of literature.
The entries are then read by a panel of judges from the WWE and NLT, with two primary school children and two secondary school children named the winners and rewarded with the trip of a life time to WrestleMania XXV in Houston, Texas.
Julia Strong, Deputy Director of the National Literacy Trust, said: Language is power and reading is key to becoming a powerful communicator. So it is vital that young people, and in particular boys, have strong reading role models. The WrestleMania Reading Challenge is a great way for schools to get their students excited about reading and we are delighted that the WWE is supporting us in spreading this message.”
Andrew Whitaker, President, Europe, Middle East and Africa for WWE said: There is no doubt that WWE Superstars and Divas touch the hearts and minds of young people in the UK. Leveraging the popularity of WWE to make even a small difference in literacy rates is a real ambition for our business.”
Schools that are not already part of the Reading Champions initiative can sign up free-of-charge at www.readingchampions.org.uk.
Additional information on World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: WWE) can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com. For information on our global activities, go to www.wwe.com/worldwide/
- ENDS -
Notes to editors
World Wrestling Entertainment and the NLT: Over the last three years WWE has been working with the NLT to promote reading and literacy in schools across the UK. Using posters featuring WWE Superstars in schools, as well as the WrestleMania Reading Challenge, WWE and the NLT have together strived to communicate that reading is an important and enjoyable part of every day life, even for world-famous WWE Superstars.
The National Literacy Trust is an independent charity that changes lives through literacy. It links home, school and the wider community to inspire learners and create opportunities for everyone. The National Literacy Trust is a registered charity in England and Wales, no. 1116260, and a company limited by guarantee, no. 5836486, Registered office: 68 South Lambeth Road, London SW8 1RL.
The 2008 National Year of Reading (NYR) is being managed by The National Literacy Trust and lead partner The Reading Agency. Working with a consortium of partners, they have been allocated funds to establish a framework for delivering the campaign at a national and local level. A key priority is to develop a legacy which embeds reading, in all its forms, in our social culture and local authority planning and endures long beyond the end of the campaign itself. The NYR will promote reading as an enjoyable activity which is everywhere and is not just about books: it is about reading anything, anywhere at anytime.
