The Albany Gazette - Read, Draw, Boo! ReadWorks and Simply Draw Invite Students to a Halloween Illustration Contest

NEW YORK, NY / ACCESS Newswire / October 29, 2026 / ReadWorks, the nonprofit providing free, research-based resources to improve reading comprehension, and Simply, the company behind the Simply Draw learning app, have teamed up for ReadWorks x Simply Draw Halloween Illustration Contest. The contest invites students in grades 1-6 across the United States to read Halloween-themed passages and bring their ideas to life through drawing.

The collaboration connects reading with a creative way for students to show what they understand. As students choose details from a text and represent them visually, they can make connections, organize ideas and interpret the passage in their own way. Simply Draw's guided lessons offer techniques and encouragement, while leaving room for each student's imagination.

"We believe learning to draw isn't about teaching kids to copy. It's about giving them the skills and confidence to make something their own," said Tomer Harry, Product Lead of Simply Draw. "Drawing is not about copying a perfect picture. It's about building skills and confidence so you can make something of your own. This contest gives students a chance to bring a story or an idea from a reading to life in a way that feels uniquely theirs."

ReadWorks provides free, research-based reading comprehension resources used by nearly 1 million educators and 11.5 million students each school year. Its mission to ensure educators and students have access to high-quality reading resources was a natural fit for Simply, whose learning apps use technology to make developing creative skills accessible, engaging and fun.

"We're proud to partner with Simply Draw on this Halloween Illustration Contest," said Terry Bowman, Executive Director of ReadWorks. "Halloween is a popular time of year for classroom activities, and we wanted to give teachers a way to bring that creativity into the classroom while reinforcing a strategy we know works: drawing helps students slow down, notice details, and truly process what they've read. Pairing some of our most popular articles with illustration brings together two things we value at ReadWorks: engaging students in reading and helping them build the knowledge that supports comprehension. It's another way we're helping raise joyful readers".

From Reading to Creating

Students in grades 1-6 will read two grade-level, Halloween-themed ReadWorks passages and choose one to illustrate. Topics include bats, spiders, the history of Halloween, aliens and black cats.

Simply Draw is providing free, step-by-step drawing tutorials connected to the readings, including lessons on drawing bats, skeletons, jack-o'-lanterns, spiders, aliens and black cats. The tutorials are designed to give students drawing techniques they can use as a starting point, rather than a picture they need to copy.

Students are encouraged to make their illustrations their own, using ideas and details from the text alongside their own creative choices. Entries will be evaluated on how well the illustration demonstrates understanding of the passage, as well as creativity, originality and drawing skills.

Six winners, one from each grade level, will be selected by a panel of judges from ReadWorks and Simply Draw. Winners (and their teacher or parent) will get one free year of access to the full suite of Simply applications, including Simply Draw and Simply Piano, alongside two $25 gift certificates and a special merchandise package. Entries must be submitted by a teacher, parent or guardian by November 6, 2026. The winners will be announced by November 23rd on the ReadWorks website.

Research suggests that drawing can be a valuable learning strategy when children use it to represent what they have learned. Creating a visual representation requires students to identify important information, organize and connect ideas, and translate their understanding into another form. These processes can support comprehension and retention.

About ReadWorks

ReadWorks (http://readworks.org/) is an award-winning nonprofit providing free, research-based resources to improve reading comprehension. Since its founding, 56 million people have used ReadWorks, including nearly 1 million educators and 11.5 million students each school year. ReadWorks reaches 93% of the highest-poverty K-8 schools nationwide.

Its library features more than 6,000 high-quality texts across subjects and grade levels, designed to complement any curriculum and build background knowledge, vocabulary and comprehension. Beyond its content, ReadWorks offers research-based print and digital tools and educator guidance designed to support individualized reading comprehension instruction, all provided free as part of its nonprofit mission.

About Simply

Simply (https://www.hellosimply.com/) makes the pursuit of creative hobbies simple and fun for all. Loved by millions of learners around the world, Simply combines world-class content, learning science and technology to help people build creative skills and confidence at every step of their journey. Its award-winning apps include Simply Piano, Simply Guitar, Simply Sing and Simply Draw.

About Simply Draw

Simply Draw (https://www.hellosimply.com/simply-draw) offers children a safe, playful digital space that encourages creativity in the real world. Kids use pencil and paper to learn drawing and sketching skills. The app's friendly, step-by-step lessons introduce techniques like shading, texture, and perspective, while helping children build confidence and discover their own creative style. Built by educators and artists, Simply Draw makes learning to draw approachable and fun for beginners.

Contact ReadWorks:

Margo Doolittle, Chief of Staff, Earned Revenue [email protected] or Melissa Calder, Director of Marketing & Engagement [email protected]

Simply Press Inquiries: [email protected]

SOURCE: Simply

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

(P.Davis--TAG)