Poetry Out Loud Registration Set

The 2024 West Virginia Poetry Out Loud state competition registration deadline is set for Friday, Dec. 8.
All West Virginia public and private high schools and homeschool associations are invited to participate in the free educational program, which is sponsored annually by the West Virginia Dep. of Arts, Culture and History in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation.
Non-school organizations, such as afterschool programs, libraries, or nonprofit organizations, may also sponsor a local Poetry Out Loud competition for students in high schools where the program is not offered.
Interested students or organizational sponsors may contact the state Poetry Out Loud coordinator to register.
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.
The program helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence and learn about classic and contemporary poetry.
More than 4.2 million students across the country have participated in Poetry Out Loud since the program’s launch in 2005, including thousands of West Virginia high school students.
The program begins as students participate in classroom or school-wide competitions, or in a competition sponsored by an area organization.
One winner from each school or organization may advance to the statewide competition at the Culture Center, State Capitol Complex, Charleston, March 8-9, 2024.
Each winner at the state level receives $200 and an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, DC, to compete in the national finals, where, a total of $50,000 in student prizes and school/organizational stipends are awarded annually.
Poetry Out Loud provides free curriculum materials – all available online – including a poetry anthology, a comprehensive teacher’s guide, videos of student performances, lesson plans, and promotional and media resources.
Teachers can access those resources at PoetryOutLoud.org. Guidelines for conducting a competition (including virtual options) are also available on the Poetry Out Loud website.
To register for the state competition, visit https://wvculture.org/agencies/arts/poetry-out-loud/ or contact Jim Wolfe, program coordinator, at [email protected] or 304.558.0240.