On Sunday, May 2, 2021 beginning at 12pm ET, the Poetry Out Loud national semifinals will be available through a one-time-only webcast at arts.gov/Poetry-Out-Loud. 

Fifty-five finalists—one from each state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa—will submit in advance video recordings of their poetry recitations, which will be reviewed and scored by judges with expertise in poetry, performance, and the literary arts. The recitations from all 55 students will be broadcast through three regional semifinals, and will include the announcement of the top nine students (three from each region) who will advance in the competition. 

Semifinals schedule, including recitation order:

Beginning at 12pm ET: Semifinal, Region 1—East Central and Northeast
MD, NJ, NC, ME, NH, WV, CT, MA, DE, USVI, VA, VT, OH, DC, SC, PA, RI, NY

Beginning at 3pm ET: Semifinal, Region 2—Midwest and South Central
MI, TN, OK, LA, PR, FL, IN, AL, GA, MS, WI, KY, NE, IL, AR, KS, IA, MO

Beginning at 6pm ET: Semifinal, Region 3—Upper Northwest and West
ID, NV, SD, AK, WA, MN, AS, CA, UT, AZ, MT, OR, GU, CO, ND, WY, HI, TX, NM

Closed captioning and American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation will be provided for both the Poetry Out Loud national semifinals and finals.

More information is available in the newsroom.