Isavel Mendoza from Pennsylvania Named 2025 Poetry Out Loud National Champion
Washington, DC—The National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation are pleased to share that Isavel Mendoza, a 12th grade student at Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, is the 2025 Poetry Out Loud® National Champion. After reciting poems by Keith S. Wilson, Kabir, and E.E. Cummings, Mendoza was named champion during last night’s National Finals, hosted by National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Mac Barnett in Washington, DC. As National Champion, Mendoza receives a cash prize of $20,000.
The second-place 2025 Poetry Out Loud winner Teonna Randle, a 12th grade student at Jefferson High School in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, receives a $10,000 prize. The third-place winner Kaitlyn Lubega, a 12th grade student at the United World College – USA in Montezuma, New Mexico, receives a $5,000 prize.
From left to right: Second place winner Teonna Randle (SD), National Champion Isavel Mendoza (PA), and third place winner Kaitlyn Lubega (NM). Photo by James Kegley
The other six national finalists were Mona Koko (Alaska), Nyla Dinkins (District of Columbia), Tiana Renee Jones (Georgia), Javontae Cranmo (Kentucky), Hadassah Broughton (New Jersey), and Elisha Dalmeida (Oklahoma). Each receives a $1,000 prize. The schools/organizations representing the top nine finalists each receive $500 to purchase poetry materials. The Poetry Foundation provides and administers all aspects of the monetary prizes awarded for Poetry Out Loud. The Poetry Out Loud National Semifinals and Finals are administered by Mid Atlantic Arts.
Photo by James Kegley
Photos from the 2025 National Finals are available for media use. Watch short interviews with 2025 Poetry Out Loud National Finalists
About Poetry Out Loud
This year marks the 20th anniversary of Poetry Out Loud, a program of the National Endowment for the Arts and Poetry Foundation in partnership with the state and jurisdictional arts agencies. The program encourages the nation's youth to learn about great poetry through memorization and recitation. The program starts in the classroom/school or at the local level with an area organization. Students memorize and recite poems they select from an anthology of classic and contemporary poems. Winners then may advance to a regional and/or state competition, and ultimately to the National Finals. Since the program began in 2005, more than 4.5 million students and 85,000 teachers from 21,000 schools and organizations across the nation have participated in Poetry Out Loud. For more information about Poetry Out Loud and how to participate in the 2025–2026 program, visit PoetryOutLoud.org.
About the National Endowment for the Arts
Established by Congress in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts is an independent federal agency that is the largest funder of the arts and arts education in communities nationwide and a catalyst of public and private support for the arts. By advancing opportunities for arts participation and practice, the NEA fosters and sustains an environment in which the arts benefit everyone in the United States. Visit Arts.gov to learn more.
About the Poetry Foundation
The Poetry Foundation recognizes the power of words to transform lives. The Foundation works to amplify poetry and celebrate poets by fostering spaces for all to create, experience, and share poetry. Follow the Poetry Foundation and Poetry magazine on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
About Mid Atlantic Arts
Mid Atlantic Arts supports artists, presenters, and organizations through unique programming, grant support, partnerships, and information sharing. Created in 1979, Mid Atlantic Arts is aligned with the region’s state arts councils and the National Endowment for the Arts. Mid Atlantic Arts combines state and federal funding with private support from corporations, foundations, and individuals to nurture diverse artistic expression while connecting people to meaningful arts experiences within our region and beyond. To learn more about Mid Atlantic Arts visit www.midatlanticarts.org
Contact
Carolyn Coons (NEA), coonsc@arts.gov, 202-682-5552
Elizabeth O’Connell-Thompson (Poetry Foundation), eoconnellthompson@poetryfoundation.org, 312-799-8065
