Wyoming Arts Council

Dylan Collins declared champion of the 2015 Wyoming Poetry Out Loud state competition

Featured News, Program News | February 6, 2015

---

Dylan Collins, a senior at Arvada-Clearmont High School, won the 2015 Wyoming Poetry Out Loud competition Feb. 2-3 in Cheyenne.

This is the sixth consecutive year that an Arvada-Clearmont student has won the state title in the 10-year history of this poetry memorization and recitation competition.

This year’s runner-up was Rebecca Dulaney from Sundance Secondary. Third place went to Lucy Martinez of Summit High School in Jackson.

2015 Wyoming Poetry Out Loud contestants came from Sundance, Buffalo, Hulett, Kaycee, Riverton, Casper, Clearmont, and Jackson.

Judges for this year’s event, held in the Cheyenne Civic Center, were poet Adrian Molina of Denver, Wyoming Poet Laureate Echo Klaproth of Shoshoni, poet and essayist Rick Kempa of Rock Springs, and poet Matt Daly of Jackson. Special guest judge was Julia Falkner, National Student Poet Program winner from Louisville, Colo.

Wyoming Public Radio’s Cultural Affairs Director Micah Schweizer served as emcee for the competition. WPR recorded the event for a later broadcast.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow presented the participation and award certificates at a Feb. 3 ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda. Collins receives $200; Dulaney, $100. Both also earned a cash prize for their respective schools to purchase poetry books for the classroom or library.

Collins and his chaperone will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to compete at the national finals in Washington, D.C., April 28-29. Scholarships totaling $50,000 are awarded to the national champion and the other finalists.

Poetry Out Loud is a memorization and performance competition for ninth through twelfth grade students. Sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, the program is administered by the Wyoming Arts Council. Interested teachers can call Katie Christensen at 307-777-7109 for further details about participating in the 2016 competition.

The Wyoming Arts Council provides leadership and invests resources to sustain, promote and cultivate excellence in the arts.

---