You might be the next Poetry Out Loud National Champion!
Poetry Out Loud uses a pyramid structure that starts at the classroom level. Winners advance to a school-wide competition, then to a regional and/or state competition, and ultimately to the National Finals. Awards and placements are determined solely by the judges’ scores based on the Poetry Out Loud Evaluation Criteria.
How do I get involved?
Starting the week of November 4th, your English teachers will hold the class competitions portion of the event. Participants will automatically receive extra credit.
All poems must be selected from the Poetry Out Loud print or online anthology. Only versions of poems from the official anthology may be used in the contest.
Classroom Level - Students must prepare at least 1 poem to recite.
Recitations will be evaluated based on the rubric here. Poems must be memorized.
National Competition
A total of $50,000 in awards and school stipends will be given at the Poetry Out Loud National Finals, including a $20,000 award for the National Champion, $10,000 for 2nd place, $5,000 for 3rd place, and $1,000 for 4th-12th places.
State Competition
Each winner at the state level will receive $200 and an all-expenses-paid trip (with an adult chaperone) to Washington, DC, to compete at the National Finals. The state winner’s school will receive $500 for poetry materials. One runner-up in each state will receive $100; his or her school will receive $200 for the purchase of poetry materials.
