Everything You Need to Know About the
2026 Honoring Our Rivers Anthology
This year we are breaking new ground by suggesting TWO themes – one for Elementary level students and one for Secondary level students.
For Elementary Level students, the theme is “Who Lives in the Watershed?”. Honoring Our Rivers is asking young artists and writers in grades K through 6 to explore the amazing river critters that call our waterways home. From tiny mayfly nymphs to darting minnows, from crayfish to otters, rivers are full of fascinating creatures—all of which depend upon a clean and healthy watershed. See the full Call for Papers, submission guidelines, teacher prompts, classroom activity suggestions, and more here.
The theme for Secondary school students, “River as Teacher”, celebrates the many lessons we can learn from rivers and the living communities they support. Rivers teach us about movement and change, about persistence and renewal, about cooperation and balance. They remind us that everything in a watershed is connected—and that even the smallest actions can ripple outward. We invite students to explore the river as a source of knowledge, inspiration, curiosity, and wisdom. See the full Call for Papers, submission guidelines, teacher prompts, classroom activity suggestions, and more here.
Honoring Our Rivers is a statewide environmental education and arts program that engages
Oregon students in exploring, understanding, and celebrating their local watersheds.
Each year we invite K–12 students to submit poetry, prose, visual art, and photography
focused on rivers and watershed stewardship.
Selected works are published in an annual anthology distributed to schools,
libraries, and community partners across the state.
By blending environmental science with creative expression,
the program nurtures both ecological literacy and a personal connection to the rivers that sustain our communities.
Our mission is to encourage stewardship of rivers and watersheds and to nurture
the next generation of civic and conservation leaders by engaging the creative capacities of our youth.
In addition to the anthology, Honoring Our Rivers offers free classroom resources, teacher workshops, and partnerships with conservation groups, tribal governments, and community organizations. These partnerships ensure broad participation—including historically underrepresented communities—and connect students’ learning to real-world stewardship efforts. Public exhibitions and community events showcase student work and elevate youth voices in environmental decision-making.
Honoring Our Rivers was a project of Willamette Partnership for nearly 20 years, and was revived after a brief period of dormancy in 2023 by Clearing Magazine. Since its founding in 2000, Honoring Our Rivers has published more than 4000 student works and engaged over 250 schools and organizations statewide. With support from sponsors and partners, we will continue to expand our outreach to new schools, enhance classroom materials, and increase public exhibitions, ensuring that more young Oregonians see themselves as writers, artists, and advocates for their rivers.
We are grateful for the support and assistance provided in 2025 by our partners and sponsors shown below.
