The reading competition was held digitally: District winners have been chosen

The Corona pandemic also has an impact on the reading competition of the Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels (German Publishers and Booksellers Association), which has been promoting reading and the enjoyment of books for over 50 years. Sixth graders from secondary schools usually present their reading skills to a larger audience - whether in class, in the school competition or later in the regional competition. This year, due to contact restrictions caused by the pandemic, the reading entries will be uploaded as a video on a digital platform and judged by the jury via screen.

Unfortunately, with the corona-conform format this year, the participation of the schools in the two district decisions was not as high as in previous years. Nevertheless, the jury did not have an easy time choosing the two best to represent Waldeck-Frankenberg at the district decision in Kassel. The jury - consisting of the managers of the municipal libraries in Korbach Susanne Zimmerer and Frankenberg Jan Kanitz, primary school teacher Christiane Herbst, bookseller Heike Weiland and bookseller Rüdiger Richter, history student and employee of the Waldeck History Society Philipp Wecker, representing the organiser Dr. Hartmut Wecker and last year's winner in the northern district Ida Herbst - agreed: the consistently good reading performances could only be distinguished by small nuances. In the end, however, the jury decided on two winners.

Katharina Stracke from the Alte Landesschule Korbach will once again prove her reading skills for the district of Waldeck-Frankenberg North at the district decision in Kassel. Feemke Weidner from the Gesamtschule Edertal will read for the district of Waldeck-Frankenberg South in order to advance to the state competition in Hesse. The decision on who will advance in the reading competition will be made by 23 April. The state finals will then take place in May and - depending on the current pandemic situation - a meeting to determine the state's best is planned for June. The Börsenverein and the district as regional organisers hope for a significant decrease in the number of Corona infections by then, so that at least the national competition can be held as a face-to-face event.