Poetry Out Loud

Through an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts and administered statewide by the Wyoming Arts Council, Poetry Out Loud encourages high school students to learn about poetry through memorization, performance, and competition. Students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about literary history and contemporary life.

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The Power of Poetry

The Voices of Our Youth Command Our Future

Poetry Out Loud (POL) inspires high school students to find their voice and the confidence to make themselves heard, using one of the most powerful tools at their disposal—art.

Poetry in education has experienced a Renaissance through this program. Students are given the opportunity to interact with the words of the masters through recitation, building a relationship with the works and creating a sense of shared ownership branded by their own technique of volume, pitch, pace, and personal point of view. The Wyoming Arts Council has proudly hosted the Wyoming Poetry Out Loud State Competition since 2005 and will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the program this year.

How Poetry Out Loud Works

The structure of the competition is similar to a spelling bee. This annual program starts in the fall, with high school teachers using the free POL teacher toolkit and related materials to teach poetry recitation and run classroom competitions.

Classroom winners then advance to a school wide competition. School champions advance to the state finals in Cheyenne for a chance to represent Wyoming in the national competition.

The Wyoming State Champion receives:

• $200 cash prize
• $500 for their school to purchase literary materials
• An opportunity to compete at the National Finals for college scholarship funds

Visit poetryoutloud.org for detailed information and to check out POL action across the country.

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Wyoming’s 2025 Poetry Out Loud Winner, Alex Brady

Winner: Alex Brady, Junior, Cheyenne East High School, Cheyenne, Laramie County

Runner-up: Dovelynn Martinson, Buffalo High School, Buffalo,  Johnson County

Third Place: Danica Schutt, Moorcroft Secondary School, Moorcroft, Crook County

In addition, the third annual Poetry Ourselves Competition took place on Sunday, March 2, 2025 at the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens Orangerie. Poetry Ourselves provides a platform for students to write and recite their own poetry.

2025 Poetry Ourselves – Original Written Word Winners

• 1st Place – Petrichor by Briar Markovsky, Buffalo High School
• 2nd place – Children by Ashley Olson, Cheyenne East High School
• 3rd place – Death is as Near as Can Be by Zoey Mellor, Cheyenne East High School

2025 Poetry Ourselves – Spoken Word Winners

• 1st Place – Only Then Will I Feel the Breath Before I Drown by Avenlee Downey, Moorcroft Secondary School
• 2nd place – I Am by Danica Schutt, Moorcroft Secondary School
• 3rd place – The Sun and Moon by Denna Slater, Lovell High School

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The 2024-25 Program Timeline

• September 1, 2024 POL Anthology available for the 2023-2024 school year, and registration for state competition opens
• December 15, 2024 Deadline to register your school for the State Competition
• February 14, 2024 Deadline to host school competitions & Deadline to submit written poetry for Poetry Ourselves
• February 19, 2024 Deadline to submit school representative info for the State Competition
• March 2, 2024 Poetry Ourselves State Competition & Open Mic in Cheyenne, Wyoming
• March 3, 2024 Wyoming State Competition in Cheyenne, Wyoming
• March 20, 2025 Deadline for state champions & chaperones to register for National Finals
• May 5 – 7, 2025 Poetry Out Loud Finals in Washington, DC

Register to Participate in Wyoming’s 2025 Poetry Out Loud competition using the button below:

Poetry Out Loud Registration Form

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Teacher and Organizer Resources

Registered schools will receive free multi-media toolkits which include: a teacher’s guide complete with lesson plans, guidance on classroom contests, evaluation criteria, posters, and customizable contest announcement poster. In addition, teachers will receive updates and support from the WY Poetry Out Loud Coordinator throughout the year.

The anthology and a digital copy of the curriculum guide, the official rules and eligibility, and tips for organizing a school competition can be found here.

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Previous Wyoming Poetry Out Loud Winners