Poetry Out Loud
A partnership of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Poetry Foundation, and the state arts agencies, Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that encourages the study of great poetry by offering free educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition 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. Since the program began in 2005, more than 4.4 million students and 81,000 teachers from 20,000 schools across the country have participated in Poetry Out Loud. Visit poetryoutloud.org for more information. If you are interested in participating in the official program, please contact your state arts agency.
2024 Poetry Out Loud National Finals
From left to right: Nyla Dinkins, third place winner from Washington, DC; Niveah Glover, National Champion from Florida; and Tiana Renee Jones, runner-up from Georgia. Photo by James Kegley
Niveah Glover, a 12th-grade student at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts in Jacksonville, Florida, is the 2024 Poetry Out Loud® National Champion. After reciting poems by Patricia Smith, Paul Laurence Dunbar, and Ashanti Anderson, Glover was named champion during the May 2 national finals. As National Champion, Glover will receive a prize of $20,000.
The second-place 2024 Poetry Out Loud winner is Tiana Renee Jones, a 10th-grade student at Whitefield Academy in Mableton, Georgia, who will receive a $10,000 prize. The third-place winner is Nyla Dinkins, a 10th-grade student at Benjamin Banneker Academic High School in Washington, DC, who will receive a $5,000 prize.
Read the press release for full details
Watch recitations and interviews with the 2024 Poetry Out Loud National Finalists
2024 Poetry Ourselves Winners
A companion to Poetry Out Loud, the Poetry Ourselves competition gives students the opportunity to submit original poetry in spoken and written forms. The 2024 competition was open to Poetry Out Loud state and jurisdictional champions.
Written
Winner: Jessie Leitzel, South Carolina State Champion, "We Must Be in the Harvest Again"
Runner-up: Nina Glover, Florida State Champion, "These Thighs"
Spoken
Winner: Jennifer Shon, Rhode Island State Champion, “My Hanbando”
Runner-up: Lexie Wison, Kentucky State Champion, “My Life is Measured in Shades of Green”
Study on Impact of Poetry Out Loud
Line by Line: Transforming Student Lives and Learning with the Art of Poetry presents findings from an evaluation of Poetry Out Loud that involves data collection from ten sample schools assessing the program’s impact on poetry appreciation and engagement, social and emotional development, and academic performance. A fact sheet summarizing the results is also available.
