Poetry Out Loud

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

 

 

 

IMPORTANT DATES

• October 10, 2023
  Information Session
  Register Here
  
  
• January 19, 2024
  Deadline to register school
  Register Here
  
  
• February 5, 2024
  Register POL student finalists
  Registration opens soon
  
  
• March 2, 2024
  State Finals to be hosted at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg campus
  
  
• May 9, 2024
  Poetry Out Loud National Finals in Washington, DC

RESOURCES

Teacher's Toolkit

 

POETRY OUT LOUD GETS ORIGINAL IS BACK!

We are excited to announce we will be hosting a virtual 2023 Florida Poetry Out Loud Gets Original (POLGO) on March 17, 2023 from 6 - 8 pm. POLGO is a complementary competition which invites students to submit original poetry. Students who participate in the state of Florida POL programming and competitions this year are also invited to create and submit their own original poetry for the potential to be included in an anthology that will be published and disseminated to participants.

The University of South Florida St. Petersburg campus is partnering on the POLGO competition with Keep St. Pete Lit, a non-profit organization that celebrates and promotes greater St. Petersburg’s literary community through arts, education and events. Any high school student is eligible to participate in POLGO. Students whose poems are selected for publication will be notified and those students will also be invited to participate in a virtual open microphone competition to read their original poems where winners will receive cash prizes from $200 to $50 for both content and performance.

Submission Guidelines:

• Original poetry may be on any topic and has a 300 word maximum.
• 1-3 poems
• Single spaced
• Poems can be no more than a page and a half
• 12pt font