After two years of virtual competitions, the Poetry Out Loud® National Finals are returning to Washington, DC, this Spring, May 9–10, 2023, and will be streamed live at Arts.gov/Poetry-Out-Loud. This annual event brings together high school students from across the country who memorize and recite classic and contemporary poems, competing for the title of national champion and the $20,000 prize. Visit PoetryOutLoud.org for the list of the 2023 Poetry Out Loud state and jurisdictional champions who will take part in the competition.
The National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation are pleased to share that Mia Ronn, a junior at the Archer School for Girls in Los Angeles, California, is the 2022 Poetry Out Loud™ National Champion.
Washington, DC Nine high school students from across the nation are vying for the title of 2022 Poetry Out Loud™ National Champion and the $20,000 prize as part of an annual poetry recitation competition from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Poetry Foundation.
May 28, 2021
2021 Poetry Out Loud National Champion Rahele Megosha. Screenshot by James Kegley from Poetry Out Loud national finals video submission
Washington, DC Following recitations of poetry by Linda Pastan, Jehanne Dubrow, and Mary Lamb,
Rahele Megosha, a senior at Washington High School in South Dakota, was announced as the 2021 Poetry Out Loud National Champion during last night’s national finals webcast at arts.gov. Megosha will receive a prize of $20,000.
The second-place winner is
Kendall Grimes, a junior at Battle Ground Academy in Tennessee, who receives a $10,000 prize. The third-place winner is
Soojin Park, a senior at Auburn High School in Alabama, who receives a $5,000 prize. The remaining six students who competed in the finals will each receive a $1,000 prize. The schools of each of the top nine finalists will receive $500 to purchase poetry materials.