River of Words Poetry and Art Contest

1. Submission Rules

Poems should not exceed 32 lines or 3 minutes (signed), and poems must be in English and Spanish. Participants may submit up to 5 entries for poetry and 5 for art (a total of 10 entries).

Collaborative poems and artwork are accepted, but only one student, who is the group representative, will be eligible for awards.

2. Prizes

Art and Poetry Category Winners: One Grand Prize, one Runner-up Prize, and one Second Runner-up Prize will be selected in each of the four age/grade categories in Poetry, and each of the four age/grade categories in Art. Below are the categories:

• Category I: K-Grade 2 (Primary) or ages 5-7
• Category II: Grades 3-5 (Elementary) or ages 8-11
• Category III: Grades 6-8 (Intermediary) or ages 11-14
• Category IV: Grades 9-12 (Secondary) or ages 14-19

Art and Poetry Category Finalists: In addition, approximately 50 finalists in art and 50 finalists in poetry for each age/grade category are selected to be published alongside winners.

Specialty Prizes: 

• International Prize: Awarded to international entries, either art or poetry, in any age category.
• Shasta Bioregion Prize: Awarded to one entry, either art or poetry, honoring a Northern California watershed.
• Monkey’s Raincoat Prize: Awarded to a short poem in the tradition of the Japanese haiku.
• One Square Block Prize: Awarded to poems that examine cityscapes and the interaction between the manmade and the natural world.
• “On Writing” Poetry Finalists: Features narratives that reflect on the writing process and the speaker’s connection to writing. Awarded to approximately 5 poems every year.