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Poetry Out Loud Competition – Regional Qualifier
January 1 - January 22
How It Works
- Students must submit two video files – one file for each poem recitation.*
- Students must begin by stating the title of the poem and the poet’s name, and the translator, if applicable. A student’s own editorial comments before or after the poem are not allowed.
- Poems must be recited from memory.
- Poems must be chosen from the Poetry Out Loud Anthology: https://www.poetryoutloud.org/search/?type=poem
- Film with a horizontal orientation.
- Face the camera so it captures your head to mid-torso (medium shot).
- Each recitation should be filmed in one single shot from one static angle.
- The sound and picture must be clear.
- Videos cannot be edited.
- Do not add music, graphics, titles, virtual backgrounds, or computer animation.
- Use of professional recording studios is prohibited.
- Each recitation requires its own separate video.
Poetry Out Loud Awards
Each winner at the state level receives $200 and competes in the national finals. The state winner’s school receives $500 for the purchase of poetry materials. The first runner-up in each state receives $100, with $200 for their school. At the national finals, a total of $50,000 in awards and school stipends is awarded annually.
Eligibility
- This competition is for students who do not have a school competition to compete in. If your school is holding a school-wide competition, you must participate in that competition to qualify for regionals.
- Grade Level: Only high school students in grades 9-12 are eligible to compete, with an exception made for 8th-grade students participating in a 9th- through 12th-grade class. Homeschool students are welcome and encouraged to participate.
- Legal Participation Requirements: No student may be excluded from participating in Poetry Out Loud on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, disability, or national origin. Schools may determine eligibility for classroom and school level Poetry Out Loud programming pursuant to local and state law.
- Prize Requirements: The Poetry Foundation provides and administers all aspects of the monetary prizes awarded in Poetry Out Loud. State champions and runners up will need a valid tax identification number or social security number at the time that monetary prizes are issued by the Poetry Foundation.
Key Dates:
January 22, 2021: Deadline to register for the Waterfall Arts competition and submit video files
January 29, 2021: Announcement of winner(s) from the Waterfall Arts competition
February 5, 2021: Deadline to submit recitation videos for Regional Finals
February 22, 2021: Announcement of Regional Winners
March 5, 2021: Deadline to submit recitation videos for State Finals
March 15, 2021: Announcement of State Winners
May 2, 2021: National Semifinals
May 27, 2021: National Finals
For more information about Waterfall Arts’ Poetry Out Loud competition, please contact Bridget Matros at bridget@waterfallarts.org.For more information about the Maine Poetry Out Loud program, please contact Meg Fournier, Interim Performing Arts & Media Director at the Maine Arts Commission, at megan.b.fournier@maine.gov.
Please visit the national Poetry Out Loud site to explore and learn more about this great program.
About Poetry Out Loud
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 to high school students across the country. This program helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about literary history and contemporary life. Poetry Out Loud is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and The Poetry Foundation.
Poetry Out Loud uses a pyramid structure that starts at the classroom level. Winners advance to a school-wide competition, then to a regional and/or state competition, and ultimately to the National Finals. Due to COVID-19, competitions across the country are being held virtually and some schools that normally hold competitions are not able to do so this year.