West Virginia's Poetry Out Loud Contest

Poetry Out Loud is a national contest in which high school students memorize and recite poetry for an audience. The competition begins on a school-wide level, with the winners at each school advancing to the statewide competition held at the Culture Center in Charleston March 13 - 14, 2020. The winners from each US state and territory then compete at the National Finals.

Champions from each school-wide contest are invited to compete at the West Virginia State Finals, held in the Norman L. Fagan State Theater at the Culture Center in Charleston. In addition to contestants from all over the state performing poetry, the event also features guest speakers and celebrated performers. Recent guests include storyteller and 2018 Vandalia Award winner Bil Lepp, poets Randi Ward and Doug Van Gundy, musicians Kaia Kater and Christian Lopez, and the state’s poet laureate Marc Harshman.

In order to ensure the safety and health of participating students and staff, the state final and the 2021 POL National Finals will be held virtually in lieu of an on-site competition in Washington D.C. This decision is based on guidance from the CDC, the World Health Organization, and General Counsel for the National Endowment for the Arts.

The 2021 POL National Semifinals will take place on Sunday, May 2, and the 2021 POL National Finals will take place on Thursday, May 27. Both will be video submission-based competitions and will be streamed on arts.gov.

For guidance regarding POL virtual competitions, please reference the POL Virtual Competitions and Filming Requirements. We strongly encourage teachers and organizers to hold virtual competitions for the 2020-2021 POL season.

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Awards for Winning Students and Schools

State Competition
State Champion
$200 and an opportunity to represent West Virginia in the National Competition. State Champion's School: $500 for purchase of poetry books and materials.
The champion and his or her school also receive trophies created by a West Virginia artist.

State Runner-Up
$100; school receives $200 for purchase of poetry books and materials

National Competition
National Champion
A total of $50,000 in awards and school stipends is awarded annually.

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Rules and Guidelines

Student Eligibility

• High school students in grades 9-12 (or 8th grade students in a participating 9-12 class)
• U.S. citizens or permanent residents (for state and national finals)
• Community organizations may choose to sponsor a POL competition for students who are unable to participate in a school-based competition.
• Schools or organizations must register with the Poetry Out Loud Coordinator by December 15, 2020. School/Organization Registration Form Link
• Homeschool students and public school students at schools that are not participating may participate by competing in a contest at a local school or non-school organization or by registering directly with the State Arts Office at this link: Individual Student Registration Form

Poem Eligibility

• Poems are selected from the Poetry Out Loud anthology (updated every summer)
• Students competing in the State Finals select 3 poems: one 25 lines or shorter; one written before the 20th century; same poem may meet both criteria

Classroom, School, or Organization Contests

• Teachers use the Poetry Out Loud Teacher’s Guide to incorporate standards-based curriculum and hold classroom contests. Winners from classroom contests go on to compete at the school level.
• Schools must hold a contest to select a champion.
• Contest must include at least two students, evaluated by Poetry Out Loud evaluation criteria
• Students recite one poem per round.
• Students must prepare at least 2 poems to recite at the school contest level.
• Scores from all rounds added to determine winner.

Registration and Release Forms

• School/Organization Registration Form
• Finalist Registration Form
• Runner-Up Registration Form
• Teacher Registration Form
• Individual Student Registration Form

Visit the Poetry Out Loud website for complete participation information.