Poetry Out Loud® is a national arts education program that encourages the study of great poetry by offering free educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition for high school students.
Poetry Out Loud helps students master public speaking skills, build confidence, and learn about literary history and contemporary life through poetry. With a catalog of 1,200 classic and contemporary poems at their disposal, students can explore language and themes that resonate with their own experiences. Participants recite their selected poems from memory in competitions at the local, state, and national levels for the chance to win monetary prizes and stipends for their school or organization.
Get Involved
- Participation is open to high school students (grades 9-12), including home school students.
- Non-school organizations, such as after school clubs, libraries, or nonprofit organizations may run Poetry Out Loud as well.
- Learn more about eligibility.
- Offered in all 50 US states, American Samoa, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands.
- The program is free to all eligible participants and schools.
Contact your state arts agency to get involved today!
2024 Poetry Out Loud champion Niveah Glover recites "Self Portrait as Kendrick Lamar Laughing to the Bank" by Ashanti Anderson. Niveah represented Florida at the Poetry Out Loud National Finals in Washington, DC on May 1-2, 2024.
Poetry Out Loud Resources
History
Created by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Poetry Foundation, Poetry Out Loud is administered in partnership with individual state arts agencies. Since its inception in 2005, the program has grown to reach 4.4 million students and 81,000 teachers from 20,000 schools and offers more than $105,000 in prizes and school stipends each year.
Connect with Poetry Out Loud
Follow Poetry Out Loud on social media to connect with participants and organizers, stay up to date on competitions, and learn about past winners: