How can I get my class or school involved in Poetry Out Loud?
Poetry Out Loud is being administered by the official State Arts Agency in each state. Check with the person from your state listed under State Contacts to find out if your school is eligible to participate in this year's program.

We provide all the necessary materials for Poetry Out Loud on this website. If your school is not in a participating region this year, please feel free to use the online materials to run your own, unofficial program and contest.

Where will the State Arts Agencies offer Poetry Out Loud?
In 2006, most programs worked with high schools in and around the state capital. The Poetry Out Loud program expanded in the 2006-2007 school year. Check with the person from your state listed under State Contacts.

How much do the Poetry Out Loud materials cost?
The materials for Poetry Out Loud are free. You may use these online materials at no cost, and the official participating schools will receive hardcopy materials from the State Arts Agencies.

Can students choose poetry outside of the poems in the anthology?
No. This website includes an online anthology of more than 400 poems that will continue to expand. The students must choose from that selection, or from the hardcopy Poetry Out Loud Anthology that will be distributed to schools participating in the official contests.

How much time will each teacher spend implementing Poetry Out Loud in his or her classroom?
The official Poetry Out Loud program will be implemented in schools between September 2007 and early 2008. Each teacher might spend two to three weeks on Poetry Out Loud, and the program will not require full class periods during that time. There are, however, myriad opportunities to expand the program in your classroom, making Poetry Out Loud part of a larger poetry curriculum.

Is there a creative writing element to Poetry Out Loud?
The central objective of the program is to familiarize students with the best of their literary heritage, while teaching them important public speaking skills. Poetry Out Loud is not intended to replace classroom activities like creative writing; in fact, the two naturally complement each other. For that reason, we have created a number of optional writing activities and lesson plans for teachers.

How should the contest be organized?
A detailed description for how each school's competition should be organized can be found on the Organizing Contest Events page.

How will the competition be judged?
Official Poetry Out Loud competitions will be evaluated on specific criteria, which can be seen on the Evaluation Criteria page. Currently, judging criteria is being reviewed and updated. It is suggested that each competition have an odd number of judges in the case of ties. A separate judge should be evaluating the accuracy of the recitation in regards to the text of the poem.

Who should be judges?
It is up to each school as to who should judge the competition. In the past, teachers, poets, and dramatic professionals have been judges in school competitions. Even though the contest is literary in nature, not all judges have to have a literary background. Community leaders and event sponsors could serve as judges. Ultimately, the judges should be whomever the competition's organizers deem appropriate.

During a contest, is there a maximum amount of time that a participant should use to recite his or her poem?
The student should try to keep the maximum time per poem to around three minutes. All poems must be from the print or expanded online version of the Poetry Out Loud anthology.

Can embellishment, e.g. movement (gestures, walking), be used to deliver the poems, or will participants be expected to stand and deliver the poems in one place? Can participants add any kind of sound or musical instruments for effect?
The recitation of poetry, in this context, is different than dramatic acting. Poetry recitation is about the poem, not the performance. Overacting, exaggerated movements, and odd voices and accents are generally not accepted. However, depending on the poem, gestures and some movement may be appropriate. Musical instruments are not permitted.

How long should the contest events run?
A contest event should take less than two hours. There are instructions and recommendations in the Teachers Guide on organizing the contest events, depending on the number of participants.

If students with disabilities wish to participate in the contest, can any accommodations be made for judging them?
Yes, detailed guidelines on how students with disabilities can participate can be found on the Students with Disabilities page.

What are the prize amounts at the state and national levels?
The following prizes are offered for the official contests identified and conducted by the National Endowment for the Arts and the government State Arts Agencies during winter and spring of 2008. The prizes do not apply to other contests.

As long as your school and district allows students to receive cash prizes, each winner at the state level will receive $200 and an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, DC, to compete in the National Finals. The state winner's school will receive a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry books. A runner-up in each state will receive $100, with $200 for his or her school library. Some states may offer additional prizes. We will award $50,000 total in scholarship prizes and school stipends at the National Finals, with a $20,000 scholarship prize for the Poetry Out Loud National Champion.