Poetry Out Loud

How Poetry Out Loud Works 

To get started, read through the Guide for Teachers and Organizers.

1. Students pick three poems from the approved anthology to practice and perform at a local competition. Note: To compete at the state and national finals, students must have three poems prepared. One must be 25 lines or fewer and one must be published before 1930. One poem may be used to meet both criteria and may be the student’s third poem.
2. During the local competition, judges review and score the students on several criteria, including accuracy, performance, evidence of understanding, and more.  
3. Students who win their local competitions travel to Indianapolis to compete in the state finals. The winner of each state competition qualifies for Nationals, held in Washington, D.C.

2026-2027 Organizer Resources

Here are some important resources for Poetry Out Loud organizers looking to develop a competition at their school or in their community:

• Poetry Out Loud Anthology of eligible poems
• Teacher and Organizer Guide
• Lesson Plans & Teaching Resources
• Judges Guide 
• Judges Training Video
• Other resources available at https://poetryoutloud.org/

Key Dates

Tuesday, September 1, 2026: POL anthology live for 2026-27 school year 

Friday, December 11, 2026: Intent to participate form due

Monday, January 25, 2027: Deadline for teachers/organizers to host local competitions and report their winner to Indiana Humanities

Monday, February 1, 2027: Rounds 1 and 2 videos due from local finalists to be eligible to compete at state

Saturday, February 13, 2027: Indiana State Poetry Out Loud Competition (Location TBD)

Monday, April 26-Wednesday, April 28, 2027: Poetry Out Loud National Finals (Washington, D.C.)

Sign Up to Participate

Interested in getting involved in Poetry Out Loud? To stay up-to-date on all things Poetry Out Loud, fill out an interest form. When you sign up, you’ll receive free posters and bookmarks to help spread the word about your local program. You’ll also receive periodic emails about Poetry Out Loud deadlines, resources, and best practices.

To submit your school or organization’s interest in participating in the 2026-2027 season, please fill out the school / organization interest form. 

If you are an Indiana high school student without a school competition interested in participating in Poetry Out Loud during the 2026-2027 academic year, please fill out the independent student interest form.

Tips for Recruiting Students

If you’re organizing a local competition, here are some tips for getting students involved in your competition: 

• Post notices announcing the competition and champions at your school/organization and/or on your website, newsletter, student newspaper, or social media pages. Use the Poetry Out Loud logo to celebrate your involvement. 

• Announce classroom winners and the school-wide competition in the daily PA broadcast, at assemblies, or on the school’s YouTube channel. 

•  “Live Tweet” a Poetry Out Loud contest or share photos on Instagram. Remember to use the #POL26 or #IAmPoetryOutLoud hashtags.  

•  Arrange for a class to watch online or attend your region or state Poetry Out Loud competition.  

• After the event, send the local newspaper a follow-up press release highlighting the contest, your involvement in Poetry Out Loud, and photos from your event or photos of your local champions. 

• Send a letter to the editor of your local newspaper. Use the letter to showcase your school or organization’s participation in Poetry Out Loud, and to discuss the benefits of taking part in a national program like this.