Poetry Out Loud

The Poetry Out Loud: Recitation Contest was created in 2006 by the National Endowment for the Arts under chairman Dana Gioia and The Poetry Foundation. The contest seeks to increase awareness in the art of performing poetry, with substantial cash prizes being awarded to schools that participate, and includes representatives from each of the fifty states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The contest features a list of about 600 poems for students to choose from. In some cases, qualifiers were held at a scholastic level with each student performing two poems. The finalist from each school went to the state level to perform three, and the state finalists later performed the same three poems in Washington D.C. during the second week of May, 2006.

Originally created as a means by which students could become more involved in poetry and the spoken word, the Poetry Out Loud competition is currently run in all 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Each state runs its own competition relatively independent of all others. In general, a high school competition is followed by a statewide competition. State Champions then compete in Washington D.C. for the top prize. In order to facilitate a smooth and effective competition, competitors are divided into three groups, or regions. Each region holds its own semifinal, and sends four competitors to the final round. The final 12 then each recite two poems, and the top five recite a third poem. after this third poem has been recited, judges (usually celebrities of the poetry world, or well-known literary figures) select the Winner, and two runners-up.

Jackson Hille of Columbus Alternative High School in Ohio is the National Champion. He received a $20,000 scholarship courtesy of the National Endowment for the Arts. Other honors went to Teal Van Dyck of Bow High School in New Hampshire, who won second place and a $10,000 scholarship. Kellie Anae of Mid-Pacific Institute in Hawaii won third place and a $5,000 scholarship.

...
Wikipedia