A young woman expressively performing onstage beneath a large, projected image of the Poetry Out Loud logo.

Poetry Out Loud

Bringing poetry to life through performance

Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that encourages the study of great poetry through recitation competitions for high school students across the country. This program helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about literary history and contemporary life. Poetry Out Loud is a partnership of the National Endowment for the Arts, Poetry Foundation, and the state and jurisdictional arts agencies.

The program starts with competitions held at the local level in a classroom or school, or with a community organization. Winners then advance to a regional and state competition, and ultimately to the national finals. Awards and placements are determined solely by the judges’ scores based on the Poetry Out Loud Evaluation Criteria (see the "POL Resources" section below). Students that are not able to participate in a local level competition may register to participate directly in a regional competition.

Since 2005, 4.1 million students and 68,000 teachers from 17,000 schools and organizations have competed in Poetry Out Loud nationwide. In Maryland, approximately 129,000 students have participated in the program and learned the power of poetry firsthand.

2023-24 Poetry Out Loud Overview

In collaboration with DewMore Baltimore, MSAC will be hosting the 2023-2024 Poetry Out Loud regional and state competitions in person! Please see “Competition Levels” below for the 2024 Regional and State Competition locations and dates.

Who: Poetry Out Loud is open to all high school students.

Awards: There will be monetary prizes for the students who place 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the regional and state competitions. At the national finals, a total of $50,000 in awards and school stipends is awarded annually by the Poetry Foundation. Learn more about Poetry Out Loud by clicking here.

Regional
The top two students from each local (school or community) competition will be invited to participate in one of the three regional competitions that will take place in February 2024. Independent students or homeschooled students may register to participate directly in the regional competitions.

Students will assigned to compete at one of the three scheduled Regional Competitions below: 

February 10, 2024, 1-4pm
Central Region 
Howard County Center for the Arts 
8510 High Ridge Rd, Ellicott City, MD 21043

February 11, 2024, 1-4pm
Eastern Region 
Queen Anne's County Arts Council 
206 S Commerce St, Centreville, MD 21617

February 17, 2024, 1-4pm
Western Region
The Delaplaine Arts Center 
40 S Carroll St., Frederick, MD 21701

State
The top three students from each regional competition will be invited to participate in the state competition where they will recite poetry for a panel of judges.

Saturday, March 16, 1-4 p.m.
Baltimore Museum of Art
10 Art Museum Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218

Coaching
Students participating in the regional and state competitions will have the opportunity to work with a Poetry Coach prior to each competition.

Registration to participate in the 2024 Poetry Out Loud program closed on November 15, 2023. 


If you would like more information on the Poetry Out Loud program, please contact Lizzie Morales, Arts in Education Program Director, at elizabeth.morales@maryland.gov.

2023 POL State Competition

Young student reciting poetry on stage

Madison Harris, a ninth grade student from Indian Creek High School in Anne Arundel County, was selected as the Poetry Out Loud (POL) Maryland state champion on Saturday, March 18 during the state finals competition at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum in Baltimore. Madison was among nine finalists who were selected from 25 Maryland students representing eight counties that competed in the statewide competitions. The POL poetry recitation contest is co-sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and The Poetry Foundation, and administered by U.S. state arts agencies and regional organizations across the country. This year, the Maryland POL competition was produced by DewMore Baltimore in collaboration with MSAC.

Second place was awarded to Treston Melvin from Pocomoke High School in Worcester County, and third place went to Yasmin Roach from Wilde Lake High School in Howard County. The six remaining finalists were Chloe Choi (Montgomery), Fiona Guo (Worcester), Imari Owens (Carroll), Brennen Peroutka (Baltimore), Abigail Rakow (Montgomery), and Renee Si-ting Wu (Howard).  

Click here to view the recording of the 2023 Maryland Poetry Out Loud Competition. Following the State Competition, Madison Harris won 3rd place in the National Poetry Out Loud Competition in Washington, D.C in May 2023! Click here to learn more about Madison's Poetry Out Loud experience.

Read below to learn more about 2023 State Champion Madison Harris: 

My name is Madison Harris. I am 14 years old and in the 9th grade at Indian Creek High School in Crownsville, Maryland. I have two younger siblings who are twins. I play the cello and I am a part of the Junior Varsity Tennis team. I love Legos and coding. I also love to bake. In my spare time, I like to listen to music and play games. My favorite artists are Tyler, The Creator, Kali Uchis, and Laufey. My favorite poets are Amanda Gorman, Rupi Kaur, and Alaska Lane. I loved my experience at the Poetry Out Loud State Competition, and I cannot wait for the National Competition!

2022 POL State Competition

Photo of Harrison

Harrison Lynch from The King’s Christian Academy in St. Mary’s County was selected as the Poetry Out Loud (POL) Maryland state champion on March 10th during state finals. He was among eight finalists who were selected from 25 Maryland students representing 13 counties that competed in the statewide competitions. The POL poetry recitation contest is co-sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and The Poetry Foundation, and administered by U.S. state arts agencies and regional organizations across the country. The Maryland POL competition is produced by MSAC.

Second place was awarded to Abigail Grove from Allegany High School in Allegany County, and third place went to Matthew Bacho from Severna Park High School in Anne Arundel County. The five remaining finalists were Peyton McDonald (Allegany County), Curtis Kemtchouang (Frederick County),

Yasmin Roach (Howard County), Roselyn Centeno (Montgomery County), and Treston Melvin (Worcester County).

 

2021 POL State Competition

2021 Maryland State POL Champion Kate Maerten looks up at the sky in awe of bubbles surrounding them.

Kate Maerten, a 12th grader at Gerstell Academy in Carroll County, was selected as the Poetry Out Loud (POL) Maryland State champion on March 9th during state finals. She was among eight finalists that were selected from 25 Maryland students in eight counties that competed in the statewide competitions. The POL poetry recitation contest is co-sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and The Poetry Foundation, and administered by U.S. state arts agencies and regional organizations across the country. The Maryland POL competition is produced by MSAC.

Second place was awarded to Paula Yeboah, an 11th grader at Wilde Lake High School in Howard County, and third place went to Harrison Lynch, an 11th grader at The King's Christian Academy in St. Mary’s County. The five remaining finalists were  Aimee Pentermann (St. Mary's County), Colin Benedict (Anne Arundel County), Ellie Heath (Anne Arundel County), Joseph Griffin (Howard County), and Katie Spencer (Anne Arundel County).

 

2020 POL State Competition

2020 Maryland State POL Champion Randolph Smith stands in front of a step and repeat banner with the MSAC Logo.


Randolph Smith, an 11th grader at Concordia Preparatory High School in Baltimore County, was selected as the 2020 Poetry Out Loud (POL) Maryland State champion on March 7th during state finals at Baltimore Center Stage.  He was among nine finalists that were selected from more than 24 Maryland students in nine counties that competed in the statewide competition. The POL poetry recitation contest is co-sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and The Poetry Foundation, and administered by U.S. state arts agencies and regional arts organizations across the country. The Maryland POL competition is produced by the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC).

Second place was awarded to Maylis Quesnel, a 12th grader at Richard Montgomery High School, Montgomery County, and third place went to Katie Spencer, a 10th grader at Indian Creek School, Anne Arundel County. The six remaining finalists were Joy Campbell (Frederick County), Allison (Faith) Comising (Howard County), Caroline Daley (St. Mary’s County), Ellie Heath (Anne Arundel County), Kate Maerten (Carroll County), and Sanjana Subramanian (Frederick County).

The NEA also produces Poetry Ourselves, an additional, optional competition that allows students to submit an original piece of poetry. The 2020 Maryland State Poetry Ourselves winner is Joy Campbell, an 11th grader at Oakdale High School in Frederick County. In 2021, the Poetry Ourselves competition will be suspended. Students interested in original poetry should refer to our POL Resources for writing competitions available throughout the state.