2025 Contest Rules

Please read the detailed instructions for the 2025 River of Words International Art and Poetry Contest. 

1. All submissions are due by January 31, 2025 at 11:59pm PST after which the submission portal will close and no late submissions will be accepted for any reason. Winners will be announced in April 2025.

2. If you are a resident in Georgia or Arizona, U.S.A, please submit your pieces through the Georgia or Arizona River of Words statewide contest. Your submission will automatically be entered into the International River of Words Contest. 

3. The contest is open to Pre-K through 12th grade students, ages 5–19. Students must be enrolled in a school or homeschool program to be eligible. All entries must be submitted by a parent, guardian, educator, or facilitator unless the student is 18 years old or older.

4. Participants may submit up to 5 entries for poetry and 5 entries for art (total of up to 10 entries). If more than 5 entries are submitted, we will only accept the first 5 as is. If multiple poems or pieces of artwork are being submitted, then this form must be filled out once per submission. 

5. All poems must be original work. Poem documents/PDFs cannot include names, ages, or any other personal information.

6. Poems should not exceed 32 lines in length (written) or 3 minutes (signed). For ASL poetry, please include a brief written summary of the poem’s content.

7. Collaborative poems and artwork are accepted, but only one student (chosen as the group representative) will be eligible for any prizes awarded.

8. At this time, we are able to accept poems only in English and Spanish.

9. Art must be mailed to the River of Words physical address in order to be considered for the competition regardless of medium. Art will not be returned to the artist. If the art is a digital piece, please have it printed. Mailed-in art submissions need to include a printed Jotform confirmation when sent alongside the art piece(s). See address below. 

Attn: River of Words
Filippi Academic Hall (FAH 200), 2nd Floor
1928 St. Mary's Rd., PMB #4350
Moraga, CA 94575-4350

10. All artwork must be original work. Acceptable media are paint, pencil, markers, ink, crayon, chalk or pastel (fixed), photography, cloth, collage, and computer art.

11. Revisions will not be accepted. Please make sure your work is completed before submitting to the portal.

12. By submitting work of any kind to River of Words, you are granting, on behalf of yourself and the student, to River of Words all rights in the work, including but not limited to the right to publish, reproduce, perform, distribute and to include the work in the River of Words annual anthology, on River of Words websites, or in any other publications deemed appropriate by River of Words. Works submitted to River of Words cannot be submitted for other publications or competitions.

13. Teacher and group submissions will only be accepted through this portal. We no longer accept submissions via Google or Dropbox. Please see the updated parent/guardian permission form below. Old parental permission forms will not be accepted. Parental permission forms only need to be submitted when teachers are submitting on behalf of their students.

(English) 2025 ROW Parent/Guardian Permission Form

(Español) ROW 2025 Parent/Guardian Permission Form

14. Questions and concerns can be emailed to rowinfo@stmarys-ca.edu.

 

Privacy Notice
Please review the River of Words Privacy Notice here.

Competition Prompt

River of Words is looking for artwork and poetry that…

• Thoughtfully considers ideas, images and language. Be specific!
• Shows the reader something. Paint a picture (with paint or with words)!
• Creates an experience for the reader/viewer: use images that take us on a journey or make us feel something.
• Has fun: with form, images, textures. Surprise yourself by trying something new!
• Features a specific aspect, formation, ecosystem, or organism of nature that resonates with you.
• Exhibits scientific knowledge of a particular subject learned in the classroom.
• Invites us into your backyard: go outside, what do you see? What do you hear?
• What do you smell? What do you feel?
• Shows what no one else sees: a poem or artwork that reveals your own unique observations or personal experiences.
• Speaks to an awareness of a global community or collective consciousness: a poem or artwork can reflect the experiences of a culture or natural world surrounding you.

Students may want to ask themselves, what do the ideas above mean to me? The answers will be different for everyone, though we hope to give you some idea of what we are looking for. We want students to follow their creativity to its fullest extent by exploring and trying things they have not done before while they create poetry and art of environment and place.

Please print out the 2025 Parent Permission Form in English or Spanish and upload the signed form below.

Legal Terms and Conditions

Note: This section is EQUIVALENT to submitting the Parent/Guardian Permission form, which is only required for Teacher/Facilitator submissions. You do not need to submit an additional Permission Form after acknowledging these Terms and Conditions.

Consent to Publish Art / Poetry

I hereby certify and covenant that I am the legal guardian or parent of the student named above (“Student”). As the legal guardian or parent of the Student, I hereby grant and assign to River of Words® (“ROW”) the non-exclusive right and world-wide royalty free and perpetual license, in respect to the original artwork, writing, poem(s), photos or video submitted on behalf of the student, to ROW, to perform, publish, display, distribute, or use the same, individually or in conjunction with other original artwork, writing, poem(s), photos, and video, in any and all media now or hereafter known throughout the world, for any purpose whatsoever, and to sublicense to third parties these same rights, whether for a fee or otherwise. I represent and warrant that the works being submitted are the original works of the Student and such works do not infringe upon the rights of any third party.

Consent to Use Student’s Information

I consent to the use of the Student’s name, likeness in picture, video, or audio recording, and geographic location (city and state/country) to identify the author of the work in connection with the Student’s participation in the ROW contest. I understand that any use of submitted work may include the Student’s name as its creator and the city and state/country where the Student resides, and may also include an identifiable likeness of the Student in picture, video, or sound recording; and I hereby give consent for the publication and use of this personal information, and consent to such use without compensation of any kind for the Student or myself, other than the privilege of Student’s participation in the ROW contest.

I understand that I may withdraw consent for the specific identification of the Student at any time in the future, but withdrawn consent will have no effect on past use or publication of Student’s name, likeness, and location, or the inclusion of Student’s name, likeness, and location in any publication that is currently undergoing the printing process. Withdrawal of consent for the use of the Student’s name, likeness, image or identity does not have any impact on River of Words rights in the use of the individual works submitted on behalf of the Student. Consent for the use of the Student’s name and likeness can be withdrawn by contacting ROW directly at rowinfo@stmarys-ca.edu.

Agreement to Release Rights

I hereby release and discharge ROW from any and all claims and demands arising out of or in connection with the use of Student’s name, likeness, location, the original artwork, writing, poem(s), photos, and video, including without limitations any and all claims for libel or invasion of privacy. This release shall be binding upon the Student, myself, and our heirs, legal representatives, and assigns. I further release ROW from any responsibility for any injury incurred during the research or production of the original artwork, writing, poem(s), photos and video. This authorization and release shall also inure to the benefit of the successors, legal representatives, licensees, and assigns of ROW.

In any of the winning categories, ROW maintains the exclusive right to declare no winner and withhold prizes if no poem or artwork of merit is found. ROW assumes no responsibility for lost or damaged poetry or artwork, and will not return submitted work. ROW may sell, assign, license, or otherwise transfer all rights granted to it hereunder.

Agreement and Verification

With respect to the above written consent for the use of the submitted works, the consent to the use of the Student’s personal information, and the agreement to hold harmless, I agree that I have read the foregoing and fully understand the contents thereof and on my own behalf, on behalf of the Student and the Student’s heirs and successors, and I agree to the terms stated therein.

Rules and Guildelines for Submitting an Art Piece

All artwork must be original work and will be judged based on the following components: 

9. Art must be mailed to the River of Words physical address in order to be considered for the competition regardless of medium. Art will not be returned to the artist. If the art is a digital piece, please have it printed. Mailed-in art submissions need to include a printed Jotform confirmation when sent alongside the art peice(s). See address below. 

Attn: River of Words
Filippi Academic Hall (FAH 200), 2nd Floor
1928 St. Mary's Rd., PMB #4350
Moraga, CA 94575-4350 

3. Knowledge of medium: Does the piece utilize one or multiple art mediums (pencil, paint, photography, etc.)? The student does not need to display mastery of the medium, but the piece should represent a level of understanding of the medium they have chosen.

4. Content: Does the piece of artwork depict something to do with the environment, local watersheds, cultural impact on the environment, etc.?

5. Creativity and Originality: Is the piece unique to the artist? Is it clear that the artist took time and effort to create the piece? Does the piece represent skill appropriate for the artists grade level?

6. Craft: Does the work introduce a thought, concept, idea and/or make you think on a higher level? Are there elements to the piece that are purposeful and add to the piece?

7. Composition and presentation: Does the piece have or reflect any of the following: repeating shapes, patterns, symmetry, colors that are complementary, use of texture to add to the story, composition to show fields of depth and keep the eye focused, movements or flow of scenery, correct/appealing or purposeful incorrect proportions.

8. IMPORTANT: Please do not submit multiple titles in the text box below. To submit a second piece of art, please refill the form after you have hit the submit button.

Rules and Guildelines for Submitting a Poem

All poems must be original work and will be judged based on the following components: 

1. Consistency: What is the poem’s form or style and does it remain consistent throughout?

2. Qualities: Does the poem rhyme, does it have a rhythm to it? If it does not rhyme, does it have a rhythm that ties it together? If it does rhyme is there a pattern that is followed?

3. Craft: Does the poem use poetic devices? 

4. Voice: Does the poem retain comprehension or a sense of coherence? Is the purpose realized?

5. Content: Does the meaning of the poem go along with the prompt provided by the River of Words?

6. At this time, we are able to accept poems only in English and Spanish.

7. Poems should not exceed 32 lines in length (written) or 3 minutes (signed). For ASL poetry, please include a brief written summary of the poem’s content.

8. Please remove all personal information from your piece and its file name. This includes name, age, school, and address.

9. Poems must be submitted as handwritten or typed. Typed poems must be submitted as .pdf, .docx, or .pages. Handwritten poems may be submitted as a .jpeg or .png. For ASL student entries please contact rowinfo@stmarys-ca.edu. 

10. IMPORTANT: Do not submit multiple titles in the text box below. To submit a second poem, please refill the form after you have hit the submit button.

Only one piece of art may be submitted per a form. Do not submit multiple titles in the text box below. To submit a second piece of art, please refill the form after you have hit the submit button.

CAUTION: YOUR ENTRY IS NOT SUBMITTED UNTIL YOU HIT SUBMIT AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE. It can take up to 5 minutes for you to receive a confirmation email to your inbox. 

NOTE: By submitting this form, you will automatically be added to the River of Words email subscription. These communications will only include necessary information about the contest such as results and reminders.

 

IMPORTANT FOR ART ONLY: All artwork submissions must be mailed to:

Attn: River of Words
Filippi Academic Hall (FAH 200), 2nd Floor
1928 St. Mary's Rd., PMB #4350
Moraga, CA 94575-4350

Print out the form submission notification sent to the email you provided and attach the form to the piece of art before mailing it to us. Artwork submitted without the proof of entry form will not be accepted.

 

Please review your answers before submitting! If your form is submitted incorrectly, your piece will be disqualified from the contest. 

 

*If you cannot review your answers try re-doing the Captcha Test. All your entered fields will be saved.