Rhode Island Department of Education Extends Attendance Matters RI Student Video Contest Deadline to December 31

Rhode Island Department of Education Extends Attendance Matters RI Student Video Contest Deadline to December 31

Published on Friday, September 12, 2025

State continues to raise awareness of the importance of school attendance through student engagement

PROVIDENCE, RI - Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green and the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) today announced that the deadline for submissions for the 2025 Attendance Matters RI Student Video Contesthas been extended to December 31, 2025.

The contest is open to all Rhode Island public high school students and encourages them to use their creativity and talent to promote the importance of consistent school attendance.

"Consistent school attendance is the foundation of academic success, and we're inviting students to help us amplify that message across the Ocean State," said Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green. "Young people know best how to connect with their peers and inspire them to show up every day. Through our Attendance Matters RI campaign, we're calling on students from across Rhode Island to use their creativity, share their voices, and compete for exciting prizes."

Students are invited to create a short video (30 seconds to 3 minutes) that creatively conveys the message of why attendance matters.

Submissions must identify a specific audience such as students, families, and educators, and may include testimonials, dramatizations, animations, or other innovative formats that effectively highlight the importance of attendance. Videos must define chronic absenteeism - missing 10% of school days (about 2 days a month or 18 total for the school year) and include the phrase: "Attendance Matters, Rhode Island." Attendance facts, videos, and other informational resources to support students' messaging for the video are available at https://www.AttendanceMattersRI.org/resources.

The winning videos will be showcased on https://www.AttendanceMattersRI.org, shared widely on social media, and featured at events and other platforms as the state seeks to continue to curb chronic absenteeism. Student winners will also receive exciting prizes specially curated by New England based Hunt's Photo and Video.

The contest is open to high school students attending public schools in Rhode Island. Participants must submit a signed consent form provided by RIDE. Signed forms should be emailed to [email protected]. Upon receipt, RIDE will email a secure link for participants to upload their videos.

All video entries and signed forms must be submitted by December 31, 2025 at 11:59PM. Late entries will not be considered. A panel of judges appointed by RIDE will evaluate the submissions based on message clarity, creativity, and adherence to contest guidelines.

The top three prizes include:

• First Place: A 5-piece video production kit featuring a Canon camera, microphone, and tripod.
• Second Place: A professional photography bundle featuring a Nikon camera and mount adapter.
• Third Place: Vlogging kit with camera.

First, second, and third place winners will be announced in the winter. Additionally, the public will vote for their favorite video, the People's Choice winner, at a later date. The People's Choice winner will win a $250 gift card to Hunt's Photo and Video.

Through the Attendance Matters RI campaign, which is a statewide collaboration that is being recognized nationally and internationally, Rhode Island has reduced chronic absenteeism by 12% since the height of the pandemic. Student chronic absenteeism during the 2024-2025 school year declined approximately 2.6 percentage points, bringing the statewide chronic absenteeism rate from 24.7% in school year 2023-2024 to 22.1%. This represents 142,360 fewer absences from the previous year.

SurveyWorks, the state's school climate survey for students, families, and educators, shows higher awareness of the impact of missing school among families, educators, and administrators in recent years, but not among students.

According to 2025 survey results recently released, only 30% of students in Grades 6-12 thought that missing 18 days of school would have a significant impact on their chance of graduating high school, compared with 58% of families, 68% of educators, and 84% of administrators.

For more information and contest guidelines, visit attendancemattersri.org/videocontest.