Poetry Out Loud

National Recitation Contest

Each year, the SCAC joins national partners to bring Poetry Out Loud to South Carolina high school students.

The National Endowment for the Arts and Poetry Foundation present Poetry Out Loud with the help of statewide arts partners like the SCAC in all 50 states, American Samoa, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

2022/2023 registration has ended, but current-year program information is below. Registration for 2023/2024 will open in fall 2023!

South Carolina partners

• OneColumbia for Arts & History
• Richland Library

The program seeks to foster the next generation of literary readers by capitalizing on the latest trends in poetry—recitation and performance. Visit the Poetry Out Loud website by clicking here.

In 2018, Janae Claxton of Charleston, posing above with then S.C. Arts Commission Executive Director Ken May, was the first South Carolina student to win the National Poetry Out Loud competition! (Photo credit: James Kegley/NEA.)  Read more …

2022/2023 State Finalists

Photo by Thomas Maluck. Click image to enlarge.

A new structure for the 2022/2023 competition blended the traditional, in-person approach with the more recent virtual competitions caused by the pandemic. Schools who registered held in-person competitions locally while individual students who registered performed virtually in front of judges who named finalists.

The finalists this year come from Charleston, Greenville, Myrtle Beach, and Spartanburg. Pictured left to right above:

• Meenakshi Balachandran, senior, Calvary Christian School (Myrtle Beach)
• Ella McCall, sophomore, Ashley Hall (Charleston)
• Catherine Wooten, junior, Westgate Christian School (Spartanburg)
• Jessie Leitzel, junior, Charleston County School of the Arts (Charleston)
• Eve Decker, freshman, Spartanburg Day School (Spartanburg)
• Emily Allison, junior, Fine Arts Center (Greenville), the 2021 and 2022 state champion

Congratulations to these state finalists!

Poetry Out Loud 2022/2023

Two tracks. One competition.

To best serve as many South Carolina students as possible, Poetry Out Loud offers school registration (for teachers and their classes, in-person competitions) and individual student registration (a live virtual competition) for those whose school is not participating or are homeschooled.

• School track

  SCHEDULE & DEADLINES

  REGISTRATION DEADLINE
  Saturday, January 7, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. ET

  SCHOOL COMPETITION DEADLINE
  Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. ET

  ANNOUNCEMENT OF STATE FINALISTS
  Friday, Jan. 20, 2023

  PROGRAM DETAILS

  • Poetry Out Loud is open to any school in South Carolina serving grades 9-12.
  • Participating schools are encouraged to identify 2-3 teachers with one POL program coordinator to manage school finals, or act as the single point of contact for the school’s POL teachers. Exceptions may be made—please contact us with questions (information below).
  • All students are eligible for participation and advancement in this program.
  • Each school program must host a school competition with one (1) winner to advance to the POL South Carolina State Final.

• Individual student track

  SCHEDULE & DEADLINES

  REGISTRATION DEADLINE
  Saturday, January 7, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. ET

  LIVE VIRTUAL COMPETITION
  Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023 (time TBA)

  ANNOUNCEMENT OF STATE FINALISTS
  Friday, Jan. 20, 2023

  PROGRAM DETAILS

  • Individual students may register for Poetry Out Loud S.C. Virtual if they meet one or more of the following criteria:
    • The school the student attends is not a participating/registered POL school
    • The student is homeschooled
  • Students participating in Poetry Out Loud S.C. Virtual will need access to a computer or device with video conferencing capabilities and reliable internet.
  • Poetry Out Loud S.C. Virtual will hold an online competition with regional winners advancing to the POL South Carolina State Final.

  TECHNICAL TIPS

  • Face the camera so it captures a full-body shot (head near the top of the frame, feet near the bottom of the frame).
  • The sound and picture must be clear.
  • Do not add music, graphics, titles, virtual backgrounds, or computer animation.
  • Stand in front of a neutral background, if possible. Try to avoid wearing clothing in similar colors to the background.
  • Do not place light sources behind you to avoid being backlit.
  • Students may look directly into the camera, at a fixed spot, or at an imagined audience.
  • Make sure you are the only visible and audible person in the camera.
  • Use a microphone, if possible. If the microphone is on the camera, position the camera close to you.

• 2023 State Final

  Both school-based and individual competitions will send finalists for to compete in an in-person State Final on Saturday, March 4, 2023 at the Richland Library Auditorium (1431 Assembly St., Columbia)!

  See the official state finals program here.

Additional information

• Teacher Registration and Resources

  ONLINE RESOURCES

  Free teacher resources are available online at www.poetryoutloud.org.

  • POL Poem Anthology containing over 600 poems.
  • Teacher lesson plans
  • Judge’s Guide, Advice for Judges, Contest Evaluation Sheets, Sample Tally Sheets and more are available to download for use during classroom and school competitions.
  • Recitation tips – audio and video clips are available to help students master the art of recitation
  • NCTE and Common Core Standards

  Not participating in this year’s official competition? Your school can still run its own, unofficial program using the online materials on the National Poetry Out Loud website.

  NCTE AND SOUTH CAROLINA STANDARDS AND CLASSROOM TIME

  Poetry Out Loud satisfies most of the NCTE English/Language Arts Standards as well as many of the South Carolina English/Language Arts Standards. In addition to memorizing and performing great poems, students will have the opportunity to discuss poems and to write poetry of their own. The Program Guide includes optional lesson plans for the teacher, as well as all other elements the teacher needs to implement the program.

• Evaluation Criteria, Requirements, and Tips

  POETRY OUT LOUD EVALUATION CRITERIA

  Accuracy – an Accuracy Judge will mark missed or incorrect words during the recitation

  Physical presence – student should be poised—but not artificially so—projecting ease and confidence by his or her physical presence

  Voice and articulation – student should be clear and loud enough to capture the audience’s attention, but watch out for students who mistake projection for yelling or communicate passion by shouting

  Dramatic appropriateness – This category evaluates the interpretive and performance choices made by the student

  Evidence of understanding – measures a student’s comprehension and mastery of a poem

  Overall performance –  the student’s physical presence, voice and articulation, dramatic appropriateness, and evidence of understanding all seem on target and unified to breathe life into the poem.

  RECITATION REQUIREMENTS

  • Students must begin by stating the title of the poem and the poet’s name, and the translator, if applicable.
  • A student’s own editorial comments before or after the poem are not allowed.
  • Poems must be recited from memory.

  PREPARATION TIPS

• FAQs

  What is Poetry Out Loud: National Poetry Recitation Contest?
  Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that encourages the study of great poetry by offering educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition to high schools across the country. Poetry Out Loud uses a pyramid structure. Beginning at the classroom level, winners will advance to the school-wide competition, then to the state capital competition, and ultimately to the national finals in Washington, D.C. More than 200,000 students are expected to take part in Poetry Out Loud this year.

  Where will Poetry Out Loud take place?
  State Arts Agencies in all 50 states and the District of Columbia have enlisted high schools to participate in the official Poetry Out Loud program. For more information on South Carolina regional and state finals, contact the Poetry Out Loud Program Coordinator at the South Carolina Arts Commission.

  Who created Poetry Out Loud? 
  The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Poetry Foundation created Poetry Out Loud. At the state level, each State Arts Agency (SAA) has received an NEA grant of $15,000 to assist with expenses of program coordination and the state final event.

  Who can participate in the official Poetry Out Loud contest? 
  The official Poetry Out Loud contest is administered at the state level by State Arts Agencies in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. State Arts Agencies will define the scope of participation on a state-by-state basis. All types of high schools are welcome to participate, including public, private, parochial, independent, charter, etc.

  • Student eligibility: Only high school students in grades 9-12 are eligible, with an exception made for 8th grade students who are in a participating 9th through 12th grade class. Competitors at the state and national finals must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Students are responsible for verifying their eligibility. Schools must register with their state Poetry Out Loud coordinator in order to participate in the official state competition. A student may not advance to the state finals without competing in a lower-level competition. Homeschooled students may participate by competing in a contest at a local school (at the school’s discretion) or with other local homeschooled students. The state Poetry Out Loud coordinator should be consulted for guidance on participation. A school-level competition must include at least two students. Students unable to participate at a local school should contact their state Poetry Out Loud coordinator to discuss any other opportunities for inclusion in the state’s official competition. A National Champion is not eligible to compete in subsequent years.

  Are schools that are not part of the official contest welcome to participate in other ways?
  All schools nationwide may visit www.poetryoutloud.org for free program materials. Using these materials, they are welcome to conduct their own “unofficial” poetry recitation competitions and introduce their students to classic and contemporary poetry.

  Are program materials available? 
  The NEA and the Poetry Foundation will provide all program materials(teacher’s guide, poetry anthology, CDs, posters) for distribution to participating schools. Visit www.poetryoutloud.org for online materials.

  When will Poetry Out Loud take place? 
  Schools participating in the official competition implement the program and conduct classroom and school-level contests between September and December. Regional competitions are held in January. State contests are held in March, and the national finals take place in April in Washington, D.C.

  Is there a prize for state finalists? 
  Each state-level final competition awards $1,000 in cash prizes. Each champion at the state level receives $200 and an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., to compete for the national championship. The state winner’s school will receive a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry books. The second-place finalist in each state will receive $100, with $200 for his or her school library.

  Are there prizes at the national finals?
  Poetry Out Loud will award a total of $50,000 in scholarship prizes and school stipends at the national finals, including $20,000 for the Poetry Out Loud National Champion, and $10,000 and $5,000 for the second- and third-place finalists. The remaining nine finalists each receive $1,000, and the schools of the top 12 finalists each will receive $500 for the purchase of poetry books. In total, Poetry Out Loud will award more than $100,000 at state and national-level contests.

  How can I get more information?
  Visit www.poetryoutloud.org for more information, including educational resources for teachers and students, such as standards-based educational materials, tips on hosting a school contest, and ‘find a poem’ search tools. In South Carolina, contact the Poetry Out Loud Program Coordinator at the South Carolina Arts Commission.

Did you know…

The various winners of the Poetry Out Loud competitions held in U.S. states and jurisdictions reach their status by reciting the works of others. But you might not know that there’s plenty of original content coming from them. Enter Poetry Ourselves, a companion competition open to the Poetry Out Loud state and jurisdictional champions that highlights their original poetry. Each champion had the opportunity to submit an original work of poetry in one of two categories—written or spoken

In 2022, Emily Allison represented South Carolina and won the written poetry category!

Poetry Ourselves was launched in 2016 as part of the National Endowment for the Arts’ 50th anniversary as a way to encourage student creativity.

I’m here to help!

For assistance or more information, please contact Poetry Out Loud Coordinator Bonita Peeples (803.734.8692 | bpeeples@arts.sc.gov).