Bringing poetry to life through performance.
We are delighted to announce that Maryland Humanities will be working with the Maryland State Arts Council and Mid Atlantic Arts to implement Maryland’s Poetry Out Loud program for the 2026-27 school year!
Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that encourages the study of great poetry through recitation competitions for 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 an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with participating state and jurisdictional arts agencies and managed by Mid Atlantic Arts.
The program starts with competitions held at the local level in a classroom or school, or with a community organization. Winners then advance to a regional and state competition, and ultimately to the national finals. Awards and placements are determined solely by the judges’ scores based on the Poetry Out Loud Evaluation Criteria. Students that are not able to participate in a local level competition may register to participate directly in a regional competition.
Since 2005, 4.1 million students and 68,000 teachers from 17,000 schools and organizations have competed in Poetry Out Loud nationwide. In Maryland, approximately 129,000 students have participated in the program and learned the power of poetry firsthand.
Poetry Out Loud is open to all high school students in the state of Maryland.
See below for more details on dates and registration. For full information about contest rules, procedures, and criteria please visit the Poetry Out Loud website.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Aditya Desai at adesai@mdhumanities.org.
Competition Levels
Local
Teachers, librarians, and other teen-serving community organizations are invited to host a local contest. Students who do not have a local contest in their school or area may apply as Independent.
Regional
The top students from each local (school or community) competition will be invited to participate in a regional competition. Independent students or homeschooled students may register to participate directly in the regional competitions. Students participating in the competitions will recite poetry for a panel of judges.
State
The top three or four students from each regional competition will be invited to participate in the state competition where they will recite poetry for a panel of judges.
Important Dates & Registration
Tuesday, September 1, 2026
Poetry Out Loud Anthology goes live for the 2026-27 school year.
Registration will open for schools, organizations, and independent students who are interested in participating in the 2026-27 program.
Registration will close on Sunday, November 15, 2026 at 11:59 p.m.
Monday, January 11, 2027
Deadline for schools, libraries, and organizations hold their local competitions.
Results and winners must be reported to Maryland Humanities for students to advance to Regional and State levels.
Late January 2027 – Early March 2027
Regional and state competitions will take place across Maryland. All events are free and open to the public.
Dates and venues TBA.
April 26 – April 28, 2027
Poetry Out Loud National Finals in Washington, D.C.
Informational Sessions
Maryland Humanities and Maryland State Arts Council will hold two informational sessions this fall to help teachers and organizers prepare for their local contests. Sessions will be held virtually on Zoom. Registration is required.
September 29, 2026 @ 3 PM – Introduction to POL
This info session will cover the basics about what POL is, how to sign up, and hold a local contest. Top performing students at the local level will be invited to perform at Regional and State levels, with prizes for top winners at each.
October 27, 2026 @ 3 PM – How to Run a Local Competition
This info session will provide teachers and organizers with an overview, tips, and guidance for holding local contests, judging performances, and resources for working with students.
Poetry Out Loud Sponsors
Maryland Humanities would like to thank the following sponsors for helping us make Poetry Out Loud possible:
