Poetry Out Loud - Michigan Humanities

Poetry Out Loud is funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Michigan Arts and Culture Council (MACC). Once the state budget is approved and MACC grant awards have been announced, Michigan Humanities will provide program updates.

How to Participate

Registration: Registration is currently closed.
Eligibility: Only schools and organizations registered with their state Poetry Out Loud coordinator are eligible for the official competition. Student eligibility is detailed on the Poetry Out Loud website.

What is Poetry Out Loud?

Poetry Out Loud is a national poetry recitation competition for high school students. By encouraging youth to learn about great poetry through memorization and performance, students can master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about their literary heritage. The program and all materials are provided to each partner at no cost.

Each year, participating partners host their own competitions and select a student to represent their school at the state finals. The state champion advances to the national finals in Washington, D.C. and competes for a $20,000 college scholarship.

Poetry Out Loud is a partnership of Michigan Humanities, Michigan Arts and Culture Council, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Poetry Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

National Program Updates

Poetry Out Loud is coordinated at the national level by the NEA. A recent overview of the NEA’s updated plans for the 2025-26 program year include the following excerpts:

- For this year, Poetry Out Loud will focus on America250 in celebration of the 250th signing of the Declaration of Independence, featuring poems celebrating the rich tapestry of American stories.
- We will have a new website available for the 2025-2026 Poetry Out Loud program, scheduled to launch by October 1, 2025. To facilitate this transition, the current website will become temporarily unavailable during September. Please plan to access and save any program resources you need from the existing website prior to September 1, 2025.
- Updated POL resources including the 2025-2026 Poetry Anthology, Guide for Teachers and Organizers, and publicity tools are expected to be available by October 1, 2025.

Current & Past Champions

2025: Nour Al-Yasseri, Star International Academy, Dearborn Heights
2024: James Cook, Interlochen Arts Academy, Interlochen
2023: Glenn Doss, Melvindale High School, Melvindale
2022: Gabriel Blaikie, Interlochen Arts Academy, Interlochen
2021: Madison Ganzak, Roosevelt High School, Wyandotte

Social Media

Get updates, post questions, and share your photos via the Michigan Humanities’ accounts below and with #MIHumanities, #MIPoetryOutLoud, and #IamPoetryOutLoud.