SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE, Mexico, March 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The first-of-its-kind international “Great Reading Tournament” launched its third bilingual reading competition this week. Open now to students across Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and the United States, the free contest will run through March 23rd. Produced by 311Literacy and proudly sponsored by Canva, this international initiative is a celebration of the transformative power of reading and the vibrant diversity of its participants.
Participating students between the ages of 6 and 15, who have been registered by teachers at public and private schools, will compete to record the most reading minutes. The Tournament will leverage the LightSail Literacy Solution to record and tally each participant's progress, offering more than 10,000 digital titles in English and Spanish to choose from. With thousands of books available online, the tournament offers access to a wide variety of texts, recording each minute that students spend reading. This allows participants to effortlessly monitor their progress and compete to win prizes, including laptops and tablets.
Designed to ignite a passion for reading in both English and Spanish, The Great Reading Tournament helps children of all backgrounds to strengthen their language skills through friendly competition. By incorporating bilingual books and interactive reading challenges, the event encourages students to master literacy and biliteracy, key tools for academic success and future opportunities.
Since the contest’s launch last week, more than 20,000 children from 95 cities across five countries—Mexico, the United States, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, and Peru have started competing. As of press time, students have read more than 600,000 minutes and more than 42,000 books. Based on past tournaments, contest organizers expect participants to log at least 2 million reading minutes by the tournament’s end.
By hosting the Tournament, 311Literacy hopes to improve a stark reality: the United States and Mexico are failing to provide their students the literacy skills needed to thrive in a modern world.
On the 2022 PISA exam, Mexican students ranked 49th internationally in reading, scoring 415 points—well below the OECD average of 487. This places Mexico among the lowest-performing countries globally, with one-third of students at the lowest proficiency levels.
Facing similar literacy challenges, American students’ 2024 NAEP scores fell to historic lows, with a widening gap between high- and low-performing students.
“Obviously, literacy is foundational for economic opportunity, informed citizenship, and personal well-being,” said 311Literacy co-founder, Geoffrey Drayton. “The private sector needs to join governments in investing in evidence-based literacy practices, or skilled workers will remain in short supply in key sectors on both sides of the border. The time for complacency has passed.”
Through The Great Reading Tournament, 311Literacy is encouraging students to read more - or even to read at all - to support the organization’s mission of inspiring a life-long love of books that will improve literacy rates and workforce readiness on either side of the U.S.-Mexico border. In its inaugural year, the contest already appears to be having an impact, with students in large numbers continuing to log on to the contest’s platform to access and read books well after the tournaments had ended and prizes were distributed.
Following their continued success, 311Literacy is announcing that The Great Reading Tournaments will be held twice each year, in March and November, with more tournaments added as demand grows.
For more information about The Great Reading Tournament, to visit a participating school, receive a demonstration or to learn how to enroll a school, visit 311Literacy or contact geoff@311literacy.com.
About 311 Literacy
311Literacy is dedicated to empowering communities through bilingual education. By providing innovative literacy programs and resources, the organization helps children achieve reading fluency in both English and Spanish, promoting a more inclusive, multilingual society.
Media Contact:
geoff@311literacy.com
