Wyoming Arts Council

Registration Now Open for Wyoming’s Poetry Out Loud Competition


The Wyoming Arts Council invites interested 9-12 grade teachers and students to take part in Poetry Out Loud (POL), the national recitation and memorization contest sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation.

Designed specifically for students in grades 9-12 attending public, private or home schools, POL is a fun way to teach and learn language arts standards through poetry.

POL builds on the resurgence of poetry as an oral art form, encouraging the nation’s youth to learn about great poetry through memorization and performance. Students can work on mastering comprehension, public speaking, acting, performance, drama and English skills while building self-confidence and internalizing our rich literary heritage.

In addition to the learning experience this program offers, students have the opportunity to win cash prizes and money for their school library to purchase poetry books.

Teachers can learn full program details and register online here. 

Registered schools will receive a free multi-media toolkit, which includes a teacher’s guide complete with lesson plans, guidance on classroom contests, evaluation criteria, posters, and a customizable contest announcement poster.

POL begins in the classroom, with participating teachers using the POL teacher toolkit to teach poetry performance and run classroom competitions. Following a pyramid structure, classroom winners advance to a school-wide competition, then to the state competition. The national contest will be held virtually this year.  The Poetry Out Loud National Finals will be giving away $50,000 in awards and school or organizational stipends this year. The national champion will be awarded $20,000, $10,000 for 2nd place, $5,000 for 3rd place, and $1,000 for 4th–9th places. 

Schools interested in participating in Wyoming’s Poetry Out Loud competition, can contact Amara Fehring at amara.fehring@wyo.gov, 307-630-3918. 

The registration deadline for participation in Wyoming’s Poetry Out Loud is Jan. 24, 2022.


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