Looking Ahead: The River of Words Poetry Contest

The River of Words Poetry Contest provides an exciting opportunity for young poets! Last year was a tremendous success for fledgling writers in the Grand Rapids area. Paricia Schlutt of Grand Rapids won both the Grand Prize in the National contest for her poem, "Stories Told with the Sand Whipping in Our Faces" and First Place in the Michigan version of the contest for "Dreams You Had When You Were a Child." Patricia won the division for grades 7-9, her prize an all-expenses paid trip to Washington D.C. She had the thrilling experience of reading at the Library of Congress. Rachel McGuiness of Grand Rapids was the 1st place winner in the Michigan contest in the 10-12 grade bracket for her poem, "I Have Always Wanted a Giraffe for a Pet." (Both writers are on editorial board of Through the 3rd Eye.)
 
The deadline for both contests is February 15. It is imperative to look over the rules and guidelines for the contests on the National and Michigan websites as well.
 
Michigan Site: http://riverofwords.composing.org/
 
National Site: http://www.riverofwords.org/contest
 
Entry forms should have ROW/Michigan written in at the very top, so that you may be recognized as being in the Michigan contest, as well as the national competition. The poems should be no longer than 32 lines. The National contest winners are to be announced in April. To be qualify for the contests, poems must make reference to water in the poem itself. The main aspects that the judges are searching for is richness in language, presenting the quality of life, being alive, and local specificity.
 
This is the largest poetry contest for young people in the world and is available to any child ages 5-19. It is conducted annually by the The Library of Congress and is viewed by millions of people each year. Robert Hass, who was Poet Laurete of the United States from 1995 to 1997, is one of the two co-founders and judges for the contest. Each year there are 100 poems chosen as finalists from the U.S and other parts of the world. Anyone who is selected as a winner will win prizes such as books, ribbons, art supplies, t-shirts, and much more in the Michigan contest. The person who receives the Grand Prize on the national level will earn an all-expenses paid trip to Washington D.C., as well as a free trip for his or her guardian.
 
There are four Grand Prize winners in the poetry category. The theme of the contest is called watersheds. A watershed is a high ridge of land that divides two areas and are drained from different river systems. As previously stated, the poems need to have some reference to water in order for them to be eligible. Probably water images that deal with nature would be the best to use in poems that are submitted. One further suggestion is that you may look at other winning entries on the contest's websites. This is a wonderful opportunity to display your creativity, so don't miss out!