Poetry Out Loud National Semifinals

On Tuesday, May 9, 2023, the 2023 Poetry Out Loud state and jurisdictional champions will compete in one of three National Semifinals between 9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. ET at Lisner Auditorium, The George Washington University, 730 21st Street NW, Washington, DC.  All three Semifinals are free and open to the public—no ticket required. This annual event brings together high school students from across the country who memorize and recite classic and contemporary poems, competing for the title of national champion and the $20,000 prize. All three Semifinals are free and open to the public—no ticket required—and can be viewed via a one-time-only live webcast at Arts.gov/Poetry-Out-Loud.

• 9:00 a.m. ET—Champions from Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, U.S. Virgin Islands, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia.
• 1:00 p.m. ET—Champions from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.
• 5:00 p.m. ET—Champions from Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

Closed captioning in English and Spanish and American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation will be provided for both the Poetry Out Loud National Semifinals and Finals.