Poetry Out Loud
What is Poetry Out Loud?
Poetry
Out Loud is a national poetry recitation competition sponsored by the
National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. The Kansas
competition is sponsored by the Kansas Arts Commission.
Who can participate?
Poetry Out Loud is for high-school students (grades 9-12) at both
public and private schools. Eighth graders enrolled in ninth-grade
coursework are eligible to compete at the discretion of state Poetry
Out Loud regional coordinators.
No student may be excluded from participation in this
program on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, disability, or
national origin. Schools may determine eligibility for classroom- and
school-level Poetry Out Loud programs pursuant to local and state law.
Under federal law, participation in state competitions and the National
Finals is restricted to U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
How does it work?
Poetry Out Loud starts in the classroom, with participating teachers
using the Poetry Out Loud teacher toolkit to teach poetry recitation
and run classroom competitions. To sign up and receive the teacher
toolkit, please contact your regional
coordinator.
Following a pyramid structure, classroom winners
advance to a school-wide competition, then to a regional and/or state
competition, and ultimately to the National Finals.
What prizes are available?
State prizes: Each state champion will receive
$200 and an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, DC, to compete at the
National Finals. The state champion’s school will receive a $500
stipend for the purchase of poetry books. One runner-up in each state
will receive $100; his or her school will receive $200 for the purchase
of poetry books.
National prizes: The National Champion receives
a $20,000 college scholarship award. The second-place winner receive a $10,000 college scholarship award; the third-place winner
receive $5,000; and the fourth- to twelfth- place winners each receive $1,000. The schools of the top 12 national finalists receive $500 for the purchase of poetry books. A total of $50,000
in scholarship awards and school stipends will be awarded at the Poetry
Out Loud National Finals.
How are poems selected?
Students must choose poems out of the official Poetry Out Loud anthology available at www.poetryoutloud.org. Students are encouraged to choose their poems themselves rather than
have a teacher or coach select the poems for them.
The number of poems a student recites may differ by
level of competition. At the classroom level, in the interest of
time, teachers may elect to have students recite only one or two
poems. We suggest that a school competition should require at
least two poems by each participant. Students should prepare three poems
for state and national finals.
Rules of Poem Selection
Complete rules are outlined in the teachers' toolkit. Two criteria have
been added for eligible poem selection for students competing in the
state and national finals. The following guidelines are stated in the
teacher's guide:
One
of the three poems must be pre-20th century.
-
One
of the three poems must be fewer than 25 lines in length.
-
One
poem may satisfy both criteria.
For an overview of the program, classroom tools, and
model recitations visit www.poetryoutloud.org.
For more information on poem selection and competition
rules, contact the Kansas Arts Commission’s Poetry Out Loud
Coordinator Michelle Kirk at 785/760-3796 or mkirk1@topeka.k12.ks.us.
|
