Nominate a River

Each year Pennsylvania nonprofit organizations are invited to nominate waterways for the Pennsylvania River of the Year.

Nominations must be submitted online and include the waterway’s restoration and conservation needs and successes, as well as celebration plans if the nominee is voted as the River of the Year. The nomination period typically opens in late October and remains open for several weeks. A selection committee then chooses the slate of candidate rivers from those nominated that will be voted upon by the public. Public voting for the River of the Year begins in late November.

“Each year, the River of the Year competition highlights one of Pennsylvania’s special waterways, and I’m excited to announce that we are again partnering with the Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers to accept nominations for the 2025 competition,” said Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn. “Our beautiful rivers and streams support Pennsylvania’s $17 billion-dollar outdoor recreation industry, provide habitat for wildlife, and anchor communities. I look forward to this year’s competition and can’t wait to see what the public selects as the 2025 Pennsylvania River of the Year.”