Conservation Outdoors

RiverLink Youth Art & Poetry Contest Submission Deadline

RiverLink Youth Art & Poetry Contest Submission Deadline

Tranquility. Sarita Schneider, artist

Submissions for RiverLink’s Voices of the River Art & Poetry Contest are due Friday, March 13, by 5 p.m. The contest, now entering its 13th year, is open to PreK–12th grade students who wish to express their appreciation for the river using a variety of creative two- and three-dimensional mediums that include painting, drawing, photography, sculpture and audio/visual composition (limited to grades 3 and up). This year’s theme, What Does the River Mean to You? offers students a chance to personalize their understanding of, and relationship to, the river and surrounding watershed.

We want students to feel a connection to the water, to think about what that connection is for them and to show there are many ways to care for and interact with nature,” says Anna Miller, an AmeriCorps member serving as education coordinator at RiverLink. “They are the future stewards of our water so making sure they have had opportunities for positive experiences related to the river is an important aspect of our work.”

Contest winners will be announced on April 18 at RiverLink’s annual Earth Day Kids Festival. Judges will include local artists, community members and RiverLink staff. Select entries will be incorporated into RiverLink’s outreach and communication materials.

“It is amazing to see the incredible talent of the students and all the different ways they decide to share that talent,” says Miller. “We’ve had everything from a humorous poem about an encounter with a duck, to a watercolor of the French Broad tributary Ross Creek, to a collaborative video submitted by an entire class.”

For more information, including full submission guidelines and a chance to view some of last year’s entries, visit RiverLink.org/voicesoftheriver, or contact Anna at anna@riverlink.org.

Leave a Comment