Poetry Out Loud
Poetry Out Loud® lifts poetry off the page, creating community and connection. Through this arts education program, high school students across the country participate in a dynamic poetry recitation competition that is designed to improve their public speaking skills, help build confidence, and teach them about literary history and contemporary life.
Schools and organizations are encouraged to visit PoetryOutLoud.org for free poetry education resources, including an anthology of classic and contemporary poems, and to contact their Poetry Out Loud state coordinator to register for this year’s official competition.
Since the program began in 2005, more than 4.6 million students and 89,000 teachers from 22,000 schools across the U.S. have participated in Poetry Out Loud.
Poetry Out Loud is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with participating state and jurisdictional arts agencies and managed by Mid Atlantic Arts. Mid Atlantic Arts administers the Poetry Out Loud National Finals and all aspects of the monetary prizes.
- Frequently Asked Questions
- 2026-2027 Poetry Out Loud Anthology
- Guide for Teachers and Organizers
- Find your state coordinator
2026 Poetry Out Loud National Finals
Congratulations to Jayda Dawn, an 11th grade student at University High School of Indiana in Carmel, Indiana, the 2026 Poetry Out Loud National Champion! The second-place winner was Damien Deen, a 12th grade student at Washington High School in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The third-place winner was Jaden Conley, a 12th grade student at Niles West High School in Skokie, Illinois.
Watch our video interviews with all of the 2026 National Finalists
Study on Impact of Poetry Out Loud
Line by Line: Transforming Student Lives and Learning with the Art of Poetry presents findings from an evaluation of Poetry Out Loud that involves data collection from ten sample schools assessing the program’s impact on poetry appreciation and engagement, social and emotional development, and academic performance. A fact sheet summarizing the results is also available.
