2019 RIVER OF WORDS WINNERS & FINALISTS
Artwork (above): “One World” by Rocky Zi Yuan Wan, age 12. Hong Kong. China. 2019 ROW Finalist
The River of Words team is thrilled to announce the Winners and Finalists of the 2019 River of Words Contest! Our judges had a difficult time choosing from the many art & poetry submissions we received from across the globe. Students submitted creative work exploring the human experience and its impact on the natural world around us—from rivers to cities, from oceans to school yards, from sidewalks to mountains, from snow days to wild animals, from an ant on a pencil to the sky.
Please join us in congratulating all the students, teachers, and parents who participated in this year's contest. Thank you to all student artists & poets for sharing their gorgeous work, and thank you to all teachers, parents, and guardians for facilitating their students' participation. We encourage our participants to continue exploring the world through art & poetry, and to continue inspiring others to save and protect our home: the earth.
Want to see the 2019 River of Words winning artwork and poetry? You can view them here!
2019 Category I Winner
Poetry: Georgina Valenzuela, age 9, Tucson, Arizona. United States
Art: Ellie Chi, age 8, Duluth, Georgia. United States
2019 Category II Winner
Poetry: Jianeliz Rivera, age 11, Lancaster, Pennyslvania. United States
Art: Alexandra Huynh, age 9, Atlanta, Georgia. United States
2019 Category III Winner
Poetry: Aiden Nelson, age 14, New Orleans, Louisiana. United States
Art: Dhanhee Lee, age 12, Las Vegas, Nevada. United States
2019 Category IV Winner
Poetry: Zoe Chuang, age 15, Helena, Alabama. United States
Art: Christine Troll, age 17, Somerset, Pennsylvania. United States
2019 International Prize Winner
Kongamol Utaivattanapakdee, age 16, Bangkok. Thailand
Monkey’s Raincoat Prize (honoring a short poem in the haiku tradition)
Nikhil Patel, age 16, Chicago, Illinois. United States
One Square Block Prize (honoring a poem that examines city-scapes and the interactions between the manmade and the natural world)
Anling Chen, age 16, Staten Island, New York. United States
Shasta Bioregion Prize (honoring a artist or poet from a Northern California watershed)
Michelle Shen, age 12, Moraga, California. United States
2019 Poetry Finalists
Sarah Beetner, age 14, Rolla, Montana. United States
Cassidy Bishop, age 16, Loveland, Colorado. United States
Marie Blomeley, age 11, St. Mary’s, Georgia. United States
Marielle Brooks, age 10, Louisville, Colorado. United States
Ansley Burnett, age 11, Mableton, Georgia. United States
Noemi Celani, age 7, Tucson, Arizona. United States
Evelyn Yan Ching Cheung, age 5, Hong Kong. China
Charlotte Clark, age 7, Savannah, Georgia. United States
Zion Amin Cook, age 15, New Orleans, Louisiana. United States
Isha Deshmukh, age 7, Robbinsville, New Jersey. United States
Arrow Fagerstrom, age 7, Petaluma, California. United States
Carmella Piache Forcella, age 10, Davis, California. United States
Elizabeth Glendinning, age 15, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. United States
Paul C. Gubanich, age 10, South Lebanon, Ohio. United States
Millicent Helmka, age 13, New Orleans, Louisiana. United States
Sasha Homsy, age 12, Dublin, Ohio. United States
Maia Huddleston, age 17, Mattoon, Illinois. United States
Henry Kerr, age 13, Bath, Maine. United States
Alexandra Madaras, age 16, Mason, Ohio. United States
Datta Madhav, age 9, San Jose, California. United States
Zea Marty, age 14, Boone, North Carolina. United States
Hajirah Mohammed, age 8, Milton, Georgia. United States
Gabrielle Myers, age 10, Warner Robins, Georgia. United States
Cattien Nguyen, age 8, Morrow, Georgia. United States
Sebastien Perarnaud, age 7, Boulder, Colorado. United States
Nestor Powers, age 11, Windsor, Maine. United States
Alfredo Quintana, age 17. Spanish Fork, Utah. United States
Marlowe Recoing-Tallen, age 14, W. Boothbay Harbor, Maine. United States
Lia Rieth, age 9, Montesano, Washington. United States
Trey Rivera, age 13, Northampton, Massachusetts. United States
Violet Rodriguez, age 8, Hayward, California. United States
Jocelyn R. Sepuireda-Cocio, age 9, Tucson, Arizona. United States
Rachel Shin, age 12, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. United States
Magdalena Smith, age 16, Ithaca, New York. United States
Emmy Song, age 16, Rockville, Maryland. United States
Caroline Troll, age 12, Somerset, Pennsylvania. United States
Clare Troll, age 11, Somerset, Pennsylvania. United States
"On Writing" Finalists (for poems that reflect on the writing process)
Emily Grabovac, age 15, Vancouver. Canada
Alyssa Thompson, age 11, Tucson, Arizona. United States.
2019 Art Finalists
Maryanne Allen, age 10, Tucson, Arizona. United States
Evelyn Grace Brandon, age 8, Tucson, Arizona. United States
Naomi Cray, age 8, Smyrna, Georgia. United States
Lily Davis, age 16, Birmingham, Alabama. United States
Ashleigh Feltman, age 16, Chatsworth, Georgia. United States
Sophia Hu, age 8, Lilburn, Georgia. United States
Kwong Jay, age 9, Hong Kong. China
Kanyanan Jirathanapraser, age 10, Bangkok. Thailand
Isabella Kim, age 10, San Ramon, California. United States
Angelika Kunets, age 15, Antelope, California. United States
Seth Landers, age 9, Cumming, Georgia. United States
Bernice Liao, age 14, Suwanee, Georgia. United States
Rodrick Liu, age 7, Suwanee, Georgia. United States
Nyles Madison, age 7, Castro Valley, California. United States
Miles I. Mallory, age 15, Stone Mountain, Georgia. United States
Sean Mergenthaler, age 7, Tucson, Arizona. United States
Morgan Monje, age 8, Milton, Georgia. United States
Naratnan Nimitpornsuko, age 10, Bangkok. Thailand
Ithiya Oophaichit, age 7, Bangkok. Thailand
Andrea Sampson, age 15, Tucson, Arizona. United States
Muhammad Shafiq, age 18, Quetta. Pakistan
James Stephens, age 12, Birmingham, Alabama. United States
Radu Sudarshan, age 12, Birmingham, Alabama. United States
Venus Lam Wai Sum, age 14, Hong Kong. China
Michael Tappler, age 16, Douglasville, Georgia. United States
Clare Troll, age 11, Somerset, Pennsylvania. United States
Rocky Zi Yuan Wan, age 12, Hong Kong. China
Catherine Wang, age 16, Duluth, Georgia. United States
Kandace Wang, age 11, Duluth, Georgia. United States
Nancy Wang, age 11, Lilburn, Georgia. United States
Ashley Wu, age 9, Johns Creek, Georgia. United States
Zip Wing Yan, age 9, Hong Kong. China
Alex Zhai, age 15, Saratoga, California. United States
Zihan Zhao, age 13, Duluth, Georgia. United States
Liu Nga Ching Zoe, age 14, Hong Kong. China
Our 2019 winners and finalists hail from:
United States: Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Montana, Nevada, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia, Washington
And Elsewhere: Canada, China, Pakistan, Thailand
We give special thanks to our guest 2019 Poetry and Art Judges for making all this possible: Robert Haas, Luz Casquejo Johnston, Anna Harmon, David Wood, Andrew Mount, Amanda Moser, Alexa Olivera, and Sierra Miller. And of course to the ROW Team: Maureen Esty, Rachel Feinberg, Ed Hirtzel, Ambereise McElrath, and Florencia Orlandoni.
If you or someone you know are eligible for the 2020 contest, Online Student Entry Forms are available on our website. You can find your appropriate Deadlines and Mailing Address at the bottom of the River of Words Art and Poetry Contest page.