Poetry Out Loud is a teen national recitation competition open to any school in Colorado serving grades 9-12
Poetry Out Loud Program Registration
School Registrations
Registration Opens
October 1, 2023 - January 10, 2024
Poetry Out Loud is open to any school in Colorado serving grades 9-12.
Participating schools are encouraged to identify 2-3 teachers with one POL program coordinator to manage school finals, or act as the single point of contact for the school’s POL teachers. Exceptions may be made- Please contact us with questions.
Registered schools will work with a state coordinator to receive information about the Poetry Out Loud program, curriculum, and local and state competitions.
All students are eligible for participation and advancement in this program.
🗓️ DEADLINES
Registration deadline is January 10, 2024
Local/State Competitions must be registered to Empowered by: January 15, 2024
Local/School Competitions must be completed by:
February 4, 2024Local/School Competitions will submit winner information to Empowered along with the winner recitation videos for the regional competition by: February 7, 2024
Regional Competition & Winner announcements (Tentative): February 10-12, 2024
Deadline for competition winners to submit registration for State Finals: February 14, 2024
Poetry Out Loud State Finals: March 11, 2024 | Denver Center for Performing Arts
Poetry Out Loud National Finals in Washington, DC: April 30 - May 2, 2024
Note: Please let students know that they can request accommodations for a disability. Teachers and organizers may refer to the Accessibility page on PoetryOutLoud.org for more information or contact their state coordinator for further assistance.
Individual Student Registrations
Registration Opens
October 1, 2023 - January 10, 2024
Individual students may register for the Colorado Poetry Out Loud Virtual Competition if they meet one or more of the following criteria:
The student is homeschooled in Colorado, or the student attends a high school in Colorado that is not participating or registered in Poetry Out Loud, or the student is a resident of Colorado attending an online, hybrid, or international school.
No more than 4 students from an individual school can register for the Poetry Out Loud Virtual competition. Otherwise, they must register as a school.
Students participating in the Poetry Out Loud Virtual competition will need access to a computer and reliable internet.
Poetry Out Loud Virtual competition will hold its own online competition. The champion will go on to represent the Poetry Out Loud Virtual competition at the in-person State Final in March 2024.
🗓️ DEADLINES
Registration deadline is January 10, 2024
Note: Every individual registered must participate in the contest.Contest date-- this is the date your video submissions are due: January 22, 2024
Please submit your performance by the date listed. Videos will be reviewed and evaluated by January 31, 2024
Competition winners will compete in the Regional competition and will need to submit their recitation video by: February 7, 2024
Regional Competition & Winner announcements (Tentative): February 10-12, 2024
Deadline for competition winners to submit registration for State Finals: February 14, 2024
Poetry Out Loud State Finals: March 11, 2024 | Denver Center for Performing Arts
Poetry Out Loud National Finals in Washington, DC: April 30 - May 2, 2024
Note: Please let students know that they can request accommodations for a disability. Teachers and organizers may refer to the Accessibility page on PoetryOutLoud.org for more information or contact their state coordinator for further assistance.
Poetry Out Loud State & National Competition and Awards
Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that encourages the study of great poetry through a dynamic recitation competition to high schools across the country.
State-Level
Each winner at the state level receives at least $200 and an all-expenses-paid trip with an adult chaperone to Washington, DC to compete for the national championship.
The state winner’s school/organization receives $500 for the purchase of poetry materials. The first runner-up in each state receives at least $100, with $200 for their school.
National
At the national finals, a total of $50,000 in awards and school stipends is awarded annually.
“I love the fact that students are not just reading a poem or reading words, but they are actually sharing a part of their identity, sharing what’s important to them. The poems that I chose share a different facet of what I believe in, who I am.”
– Sreepadaarchana Munjuluri, 2023 National Champion
Getting Started
- Register Today!
Teachers:
School Registrations
Registration Opens Oct 1, 2023 - Jan 10, 2024
Students (Based on Criteria)
Individual Student Registrations
Registration Opens Oct 1, 2023 - Jan 10, 2024
2. Select
Your Poems
Your Poems
Have students browse the poems.
PoetryOutLoud.org has an online anthology of more than 1,200 poems. Allow time for the students to explore the selections.
Students may choose to browse by poem, poet, or thematic collection.
3. Share Your Poems
Have students select poems to memorize.
Allow students to choose poems that resonate with them. This will help them recite these poems effectively.
Memorizing the poems, helps students internalize the author’s message, feelings, language & ideas.
Discuss the poems. Understanding the text is the most important preparation for reciting poetry.
Recite it. Practice reciting your poem for family and friends.
4. Recite:
Words are Power
Words are Power
Model recitation skills.
• Recite poems yourself & study other student performances.
• Develop a list of bad habits that take away from the performance: projection, speaking too fast or too slow, monotone voice, fidgeting, excessive body language, and mispronunciations.
• Develop a list of successful recitation elements: projection, good pacing with pauses, voice inflection, evidence of understanding, correct pronunciation, and composure.
• For practice, play portions of the audio and the video examples at PoetryOutLoud.org or YouTube channel and lastly record and study yourself!
5. Write a Poem
Include creative writing exercises and write your own poetry.
Creative writing is a natural complement to Poetry Out Loud.
There are a number of optional writing exercises and lesson plans at PoetryOutLoud.org
Latest Videos
Colorado's Poetry Out Loud is a partnership of the
National Endowment of the Arts, the Poetry Foundation, Colorado Creative Industries, and Empowered.
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