Iowa High Schools to Participate in Poetry Out Loud Competition

IOWA CITY, Iowa — High school students in Iowa are invited to join Poetry Out Loud, a national poetry recitation competition designed to enhance public speaking skills and foster confidence. Leslie Finer, director of arts and humanities at the University of Iowa Office of Community Engagement, stated, "Poetry Out Loud inspires students to explore poetry while developing skills that serve them in the classroom and beyond."

Schools can conduct classroom and school-wide competitions during the 2026-27 academic year. The state competition in Iowa will take place on February 28, 2027, where winning students will have the opportunity to advance to the national finals in Washington, D.C., scheduled for April 27-28, 2027. National winners will receive a share of $50,000 in awards along with stipends for their schools.

Humanities Iowa is collaborating with the University of Iowa Office of Community Engagement to facilitate the Poetry Out Loud program in the state. The registration deadline for interested schools is December 1, 2026. To participate in the official Iowa Poetry Out Loud program, schools and organizations must register through Humanities Iowa. They will receive access to complimentary, standards-based curriculum materials, including an online poetry anthology, teaching resources, and videos on poetry recitation available at PoetryOutLoud.org.

Since its inception in 2005, over 4.6 million students across the United States have participated in Poetry Out Loud, which is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts and managed in collaboration with Mid Atlantic Arts. For registration details in Iowa, visit humanitiesiowa.org/poetry-out-loud.