Poetry Out Loud

2026 Poetry Out Loud Regional Champions on stage at Tacoma Little Theatre for the State Final Competition. Photo by Pavel Verbovski.

Poetry Out Loud is a national poetry recitation competition for high school students. Participating students develop public speaking skills. They build self-confidence and learn to connect with literature in new ways, often discovering a new outlet for creative expression.

Poetry Out Loud is supported by The National Endowment for the Arts. ArtsWA coordinates and manages the program in Washington State.

Poetry Forward is an original poetry writing contest open, in the 2025-26 school year, for schools to register and participate.

About Poetry Forward

Poetry Out Loud is here for the 2025-26 School Year!

Resources for Teachers & Students

Arts in Education Main Page

View Washington POL Champions

About Regional and State Finals

Washington State Final

The 2026 Washington State Poetry Out Loud Final Competition took place on Saturday, March 7th beginning at 1pm at Tacoma Little Theatre, 210 North I Street in Tacoma. Winners of this year’s Poetry Forward Competition were also recognized at this event. Special Guests included State Poet Laureate, Derek Sheffield. The competition livestream is available to view on Tacoma Little Theatre’s You Tube Channel.

A digital program of the 2026 Washington State Poetry Out Loud Competition is available here.

Congratulations to Jade Terriss Talamo of Squalicum High School in Whatcom County who will represent Washington State as the 2026 POL State Champion at the National Finals in Washington D.C., April 27-29. Sidra Marshall, a junior at Anacortes High School was named runner-up. Honorable mentions went to Alexis Mattox, a senior at Mead High School in Spokane County, and Shae Dooley, a junior at Peninsula High School in Pierce County.

The state champion receives a $200 cash prize and will represent Washington in the National Finals. The state champions’ school receives $500 for the purchase of poetry books.

The runner-up in the state competition receives a $100 cash prize. Their school library receives a $200 cash prize.

Poetry Forward is an original poetry contest open to all schools serving grades 9-12 in Washington and students participating in POL Virtual. The poem “Between Two Shadows” by Eric Luna-Soto (Tacoma) was awarded first-place. Rishi Gangula and Ava Hernandez-Cebreros (Olympia and Wenatchee, respectively) were recognized as Honorable Mentions for their outstanding original poems.

To learn more about POETRY FORWARD, click here.

National Final

The National Final champion receives a $25,000 scholarship and school stipends for poetry books. A total of $50,000 in prizes are awarded to the top students.

Regional Finals – 2026

Students who are the top scorers at their School Final Competitions, and participants in POL Virtual, will gather at five Regional Final Competitions to determine which students will advance to the State Final Competition in Tacoma, on March 7th, 2026.

CENTRAL – Sunday, February 1st

Vanessa del Rio – Bickleton High School
Sophia Kuntz – Ellensburg High School

EASTERN – Saturday, January 31st

Alexis Mattox – Mead High School – Honorable Mention
Ava Henry – Mt. Spokane High School

NORTHWEST – Saturday, January 31st

Sidra Marshall – Anacortes High School – Runner-Up
Jade Terriss Talamo – Squalicum High School – State Champion

SOUTHWEST – Saturday, January 24th

Shae Dooley – Peninsula High School – Honorable Mention
Jay Purses – Concordia Christian Academy

POL VIRTUAL – Saturday, January 31st

Ozias Conant – Bellingham

Poetry Breaks Down Barriers

Stand up straight and realize who you are, that you tower over your circumstances. – Maya Angelou

Important Dates

Please note: these dates may be subject to adjustment.

2025-2026

All Washington Registrations Opens: August 18, 2025
Classroom Materials & Anthology Updated by the National Office: October 1, 2025
Implementation of all programs: between October 2025 and early January 2026
Registration deadline: December 19, 2025 (revised)
School Finals deadline: January 16, 2026
Regional Finals deadline: February 9, 2026; regional finals dates vary by region
State Final: March 7, 2026, at 1:00 p.m., hosted by Tacoma Little Theatre
National Finals: April 27 – 29, 2026

Who can participate?

All students and schools grades 9-12 may register to participate in the Washington State Poetry Out Loud program. Poetry Out Loud uses a pyramid structure. Students advance from classroom competitions to school-wide competitions. School champions progress to the regional competition. Regional champions move on to the state final. Finally, one student from each state advances to the National Finals.

POL Virtual makes it possible for students who do not attend schools that register for Poetry Out Loud, and homeschooled students, to participate in the program.

If you are a student or teacher wishing to participate, please visit our Register for Poetry Out Loud page for details.

Program History

Washington first piloted Poetry Out Loud in 2005. In that first year, the program included just eight high schools in Thurston County. The program has grown to include over 40 schools from across the state. In the 2023-24 school year, over 9,000 students participated.

In 2021, POL Virtual was launched, allowing students who are homeschooled or attend schools that do not register for the program to participate.

In 2023 Poetry Ourselves was added, encouraging students at champion levels to submit their original works in an adjudicated, state-wide poetry competition. Students must participate in Poetry Out Loud in order to be eligible for Poetry Ourselves.

Washington has consistently ranked in the top five nationally in student participation. Washington State Champions continue to be strong contenders at the National Poetry Out Loud competition. Langston Ward of Spokane became our first National Champion in 2013.

Watch recitations by previous State Finalists