Overview
WHAT IS POETRY OUT LOUD?
Poetry Out Loud is a national poetry recitation competition for high school students, started by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation in 2005. The goal is to provide students an opportunity to read and recite great poems while enhancing their public speaking and presentation skills.
Poetry Out Loud—Building Creativity and Confidence Since 2005
Poetry Out Loud is administered in partnership with the State Arts Agencies of all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia. Using the Poetry Out Loud curriculum, teachers guide students toward a deeper understanding of the power of language and literature. Students develop a personal relationship with great poems while learning about their literary heritage through poetry recitation. Plus, participants master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and improve their reading comprehension scores. Each school holds a recitation contest to determine a school champion.
In Florida, Poetry Out Loud is implemented in approximately 60 high schools and impacts 9,000- 11,000 students each year. The program brings a unit of poetry into the classroom and introduces students to a breadth of poets from a variety of backgrounds. This culminates in a school-wide competition where students channel their newly found favorite poets and recite their work. Each school’s winner is invited to compete at the state competition held in St. Petersburg each year. The State Champion’s school library receives a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry materials. More than $50,000 in prizes and school stipends are awarded annually at the National Finals in April, with the national winner receiving $20,000 in college scholarship funds.
SPONSORS
This project is sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation.
IMPORTANT DATES
- December 18, 2024
Deadline to register your school's participation in Poetry Out Loud
- Extended to January 30, 2025
Deadline to register your state finalist - March 15, 2025
State Competition on the USF St. Petersburg campus - March 20, 2025
Deadline for state champs and chaperones to register for National Finals - May 5-7, 2025
Poetry Out Loud National Finals in Washington, DC
RESOURCES
Teacher's Toolkit2023-2024 Newsletters
2022-2023 Newsletters
Click photo to watch Niveah Glover recite "We Wear the Mask" at 2024 Poetry Out Loud Nation Convention.
National Poetry Out Loud 2024 Champion:
Niveah Glover
Douglas Anderson School of the Arts
Jacksonville, FL
In 2024, Niveah Glover, a 12th-grade student at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts
in Jacksonville, Florida was the Poetry Out Loud National Champion! After reciting
poems by Patricia Smith, Paul Laurence Dunbar and Ashanti Anderson, Glover was named
champion during at the national finals in Washington, DC. As National Champion, Glover
received a prize of $20,000.
USF St. Petersburg campus is the proud organizer and host of the Florida statewide Poetry Out Loud Competition. Glover won the state competition on March 1 before going on to the nationals. Since 2005, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation have sponsored Poetry Out Loud programming with contests in every state and territory in the nation to help students master public speaking, build self-confidence and learn more about their literary heritage. In Florida, more than 6,000 students from 40 schools participated in Poetry Out Loud in 2024.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
Interested teachers may review the Poetry Out Loud classroom materials, poems, instructions and other resources at poetryoutloud.org. While teachers, students, and poetry lovers everywhere can use the Poetry Out Loud website to organize their own contests, the sanctioned contest is limited to the programs run by each states’ arts agency. Schools that would like to participate in Florida’s official Poetry Out Loud program, receive the Poetry Out Loud toolkit, and send a student to Florida’s Poetry Out Loud State Finals should register their school. Within two weeks of registering, schools will receive the Poetry Out Loud toolkit which includes a Teacher’s Guide, lessons plans, and a promotional poster.
POETRY OUT LOUD GETS ORIGINAL
Congratulations to the 2025 Poetry Out Loud Gets Original (POLGO) competition winners. Sixty students were selected to participate in the POLGO 2025 Anthrology and 14 competed in the virtual open microphone competition. Congratulations to the open microphone winners Sandra Singleton from Florida SouthWestern Collegiate High School; Jordan Hewell from Miami Norland Senior High School, and Ninelle Cabrera of Florida SouthWestern Collegiate High School.
WHAT IS POLGO?
POLGO is a complimentary competition to Poetry Out Loud (POL) Florida, specifically designed for high school students who participated in the state of Florida POL 2025 programming and competitions. We invite these students to unleash their creativity and submit their original poetry for the chance to be featured in an anthology that will be published and distributed to participants.
Selected students whose poems make it to publication will receive notifications by April 15. Selected students will also have the opportunity to participate in a virtual open microphone competition. This event is scheduled for Monday, April 28, 2025, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Winners of the competition will be awarded cash prizes ranging from $50 to $150, recognizing excellence in both content and performance.
The University of South Florida St. Petersburg proudly serves as the state coordinator and host of Poetry Out Loud Florida. For the POLGO competition, we have partnered with Keep St. Pete Lit, a non-profit organization dedicated to celebrating and promoting St. Petersburg's literary community through arts, education, and events, along with St. Petersburg Press.
Original poetry may be on any topic and has a 300 word maximum.
Submission Guidelines:
- 1-3 poems
- Single spaced
- 300 word maximum
- Original poetry on any topic
Key Dates in 2025:
- January 15, 2025 – Registration opens for POLGO Original Poetry Competition
- March 22, 2025 - Deadline for students to submit original poetry
- April 15, 2025 - Notifications of selection sent to students.
- April 28, 2025, 6-8 p.m. - POLGO Virtual Competition
Questions? Contact:
Caryn Nesmith at carynn@usf.edu
Poetry is one of the most expressive art forms. Whether recounting a real-life event, providing social commentary, or merely seeking to entertain, poetry requires introspection in order to effectively share with others. USF St. Petersburg campus is proud to be the state organizer this year for Poetry Out Loud state competition.