Rahele Megosha, a senior at Washington High School in Sioux Falls, won the 2021 Poetry Out Loud prize on Thursday. The award is given by the National Endowment for the Arts 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.