Meeting of the Rivers Foundation

10/02/2025

Unfortunately, due to the current government shutdown, our friends at the National Great Rivers Museum will be canceling their Haunted Night at the Museum event tomorrow, Friday October 3rd. We hope to see everyone back at this event in October 2026!

05/31/2025

'Plein Air' Art Competition Opens Tomorrow!

WHAT❓: An open-air painting and drawing competition, completed independently at any of 8 designated Rivers Project locations. Draw or paint the scenery in-person at your location, then submit completed works by 5 pm on June 22 to be included in a competition for regional and cash prizes, including a weekend artist retreat at the Green Tree Inn in Elsah, IL. All entries will also be displayed in an art exhibit in the National Great Rivers Museum!

WHO❓: All professional and amateur artists ages 16+

WHERE❓: Any of the listed Rivers Project locations below. Paint/draw at one, two, or
all 8 locations for one entry fee!
- Riverlands: Lincoln Shields, Ellis Island, Heron Pond, Ellis Bay
- Silo Access Area - Pike County, MO
- Calumet Creek Natural Area - Pike County, MO
- Low Water Access Area (Chain of Rocks)
- National Great Rivers Museum: Illinois Esplanade

WHEN❓: Work must be produced between June 1 and June 22 , 2025. Prizes will be awarded at a ceremony at the National Great Rivers Museum on July 12 , 2025, and
works will be exhibited in the museum from July 14 to September 14 , 2025.

COST❓: The entry fee is a one-time, non-refundable fee of $25per artist. Each artist may submit up to one artwork per location for a total of 8 submissions.

Visit the Event Page to register: www.facebook.com/share/12LU1JreX6n/

05/08/2025

☀️ Save the Date for REC FEST 2025 ☀️

Join us for the third annual REC Fest – the largest recreation and safety festival in the Riverbend! Kick off the summer season with your family at the National Great Rivers Museum on May 17, 10AM-3PM at this FREE, adventure-themed event.

With over 25 partnering organizations providing fun, interactive activities, you are sure to find to something for everyone to enjoy. Climb the rock wall with Upper Limits Rock Gym & Pro Shop, see the stars with The Nature Institute’s Mobile Planetarium, try out archery skills, meet live animals, and more.

Visit the event page to RSVP:www.facebook.com/share/1AEFV1xSPQ/

03/14/2025

Due to the possibility of a government shutdown, we are announcing the winners of the 2024 Winter on the River Photography Contest early!

Best of Show/Landscape: Quietude by Marty McKay
Runner-Up/Wildlife: We Have Splashdown! by Carolyn Schlueter
People's Choice: Feathered Phantom by Jacob Krueger
Best of Industry: Clark Bridge Pylons by Karen Zelle
Best of Recreation: Bridge Adventure by Robin Misukonis

All photographers may pick up their photographs and any prizes or certificates the week of March 17th - March 22nd, provided that the museum is not closed. Participants will be contacted directly via email with further details.

Congratulations to all winners and thank you to all participants!

01/03/2025

There's still time to submit your pictures to the Winter on the River Photo Contest! All submissions must be recieved by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, January 6th to be included in the contest. We are especially looking for youth entries, so whether you're a student or an adult and you're on the fence about submitting, this is your sign!

To register for the contest, visit the meeting of the rivers foundation website at mtrf.org/wr-photo-contest/ and click the registration link. We look forward to displaying your work!

03/09/2024

Now announcing the winners of the 2023 Winter on the River Photo Contest!

1st Place: A Foggy Morning by Jian Xu
2nd Place: Eagle Majestic Flight by Maddie Hawn
People's Choice: Short-Eared Owl by Jacob Krueger

Best of Wildlife: A Foggy Morning by Jian Xu
Best of Landscape: Piasa Island by Missy Struif
Best of Industry: Intake Tower by Adam Zoph

Photographers can pick up their photos at the museum March 11th - 17th. Winners will be contacted directly.

Congratulations to all the winners, and thank you all for participating in this year's Winter on the River Photo Contest!

03/05/2024

Tune in to Facebook later this week to find out the winners of this year's Winter on the River Photo Contest! We will be announcing 1st and 2nd place winners, as well as People's Choice and best of each category, on Saturday, March 9th. But with so many great submissions this year, they're all winners in our book!

02/17/2024

12/22/2023

There has been some confusion about one of our rules for the Winter on the River Photo Contest, and we would just like to take a moment to clarify. The rules and regulations state that photos must be unaltered, in their original form. This brings up questions of whether normal photography editing practices are allowed. Normal photography editing IS permitted. What we do NOT want is photos that are heavily photoshopped with elements that have been added in or removed. We also do not accept digital art.

Cropping, lighting adjustments, and color corrections are all perfectly acceptable.

We apologize for the confusion, and next year's wording will be much more clear.

12/14/2023

Have a great photo to submit to the Winter on the River Photo Contest, but not enough time to get it submitted? Don't worry! We have now extended the deadline to give our photographers a little more time to choose their best work. You can now register online, email your photos, and bring framed copies by the museum before 5:00 pm on January 2nd to be included in the contest!

For a complete list of rules and regulations, or to register, visit https://www.mtrf.org/wr-photo-contest/