Bringing poetry to life through performance
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 a partnership of the National Endowment for the Arts, Poetry Foundation, and the state and jurisdictional arts agencies.
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 (see the "POL Resources" section below). 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.
Previous State Champions
Penelope Tofigh, a tenth-grade student from River Hill High School in Howard County, has been selected as the 2025 Poetry Out Loud (POL) Maryland state champion. Penelope was among eight finalists who competed in the statewide competition at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center in College Park, MD on Saturday, March 1.
Second place was awarded to Jenny Min from Centennial High School and Oman Speaks from Wilde Lake High School in Howard County.
The other finalists included Bella Romero from Brookewood School (Montgomery), Adebola Adenle from George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology (Baltimore County), Imari Owens from Gerstell Academy (Carroll), Madison Harris from Indian Creek School (Anne Arundel), and Precious Foreman from North Point High School (Charles).
The full recording of the 2025 Maryland Poetry Out Loud Competition is available on our YouTube channel.
Read below to learn more about the 2025 State Champion Penelope "Penny" Tofigh:
My name is Penelope Tofigh and I'm a sophomore at River Hill High School. I enjoy doing theater, band, and English at school. In my free time and when I'm not performing or in school, I like to hang out with my friends, bake, and write poetry. Poetry Out Loud was a super fun experience that I'll be thankful for forever!
Madison Harris, a tenth-grade student from Indian Creek High School in Anne Arundel County, has been selected as the Poetry Out Loud (POL) Maryland state champion for the second consecutive year. Madison was among nine finalists who competed in the statewide competition at the Baltimore Museum of Art in Baltimore City on Saturday, March 16.
Second place was awarded to Madilyn Tribbitt from Oakdale High School in Frederick County, and third place went to Abisola Asante from River Hill High School in Howard County. The other finalists included Elaine Casey from Gerstell Academy (Carroll), Fiona Guo from Pocomoke High School (Worcester), Jay Henry from Wilde Lake High School (Howard), Imari Owens from Gerstell Academy (Carroll), Ana Pantoja Alfaro from Brookewood School (Montgomery), and Yasmin Roach from Wilde Lake High School (Howard).
Click here to view the recording of the 2024 Maryland Poetry Out Loud Competition.
Read below to learn more about the 2024 State Champion Madison Harris:
My name is Madison Harris. I am sixteen years old. My favorite color is yellow. I like to code and the night time is the best time. I don’t write poetry but I love authors like Hillary Gonzalez and Alana Kirby. My biggest poetry tip is to always drink a Thai iced tea when stressed.
Madison Harris, a ninth grade student from Indian Creek High School in Anne Arundel County, was selected as the Poetry Out Loud (POL) Maryland state champion on Saturday, March 18 during the state finals competition at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum in Baltimore. Madison was among nine finalists who were selected from 25 Maryland students representing eight counties that competed in the statewide competitions. The POL poetry recitation contest is co-sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and The Poetry Foundation, and administered by U.S. state arts agencies and regional organizations across the country. This year, the Maryland POL competition was produced by DewMore Baltimore in collaboration with MSAC.
Second place was awarded to Treston Melvin from Pocomoke High School in Worcester County, and third place went to Yasmin Roach from Wilde Lake High School in Howard County. The six remaining finalists were Chloe Choi (Montgomery), Fiona Guo (Worcester), Imari Owens (Carroll), Brennen Peroutka (Baltimore), Abigail Rakow (Montgomery), and Renee Si-ting Wu (Howard).
Click here to view the recording of the 2023 Maryland Poetry Out Loud Competition. Following the State Competition, Madison Harris won 3rd place in the National Poetry Out Loud Competition in Washington, D.C in May 2023! Click here to learn more about Madison's Poetry Out Loud experience.
Read below to learn more about 2023 State Champion Madison Harris:
My name is Madison Harris. I am 14 years old and in the 9th grade at Indian Creek High School in Crownsville, Maryland. I have two younger siblings who are twins. I play the cello and I am a part of the Junior Varsity Tennis team. I love Legos and coding. I also love to bake. In my spare time, I like to listen to music and play games. My favorite artists are Tyler, The Creator, Kali Uchis, and Laufey. My favorite poets are Amanda Gorman, Rupi Kaur, and Alaska Lane. I loved my experience at the Poetry Out Loud State Competition, and I cannot wait for the National Competition!
Harrison Lynch from The King’s Christian Academy in St. Mary’s County was selected as the Poetry Out Loud (POL) Maryland state champion on March 10th during state finals. He was among eight finalists who were selected from 25 Maryland students representing 13 counties that competed in the statewide competitions. The POL poetry recitation contest is co-sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and The Poetry Foundation, and administered by U.S. state arts agencies and regional organizations across the country. The Maryland POL competition is produced by MSAC.
Second place was awarded to Abigail Grove from Allegany High School in Allegany County, and third place went to Matthew Bacho from Severna Park High School in Anne Arundel County. The five remaining finalists were Peyton McDonald (Allegany County), Curtis Kemtchouang (Frederick County),
Yasmin Roach (Howard County), Roselyn Centeno (Montgomery County), and Treston Melvin (Worcester County)
Kate Maerten, a 12th grader at Gerstell Academy in Carroll County, was selected as the Poetry Out Loud (POL) Maryland State champion on March 9th during state finals. She was among eight finalists that were selected from 25 Maryland students in eight counties that competed in the statewide competitions. The POL poetry recitation contest is co-sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and The Poetry Foundation, and administered by U.S. state arts agencies and regional organizations across the country. The Maryland POL competition is produced by MSAC.
Second place was awarded to Paula Yeboah, an 11th grader at Wilde Lake High School in Howard County, and third place went to Harrison Lynch, an 11th grader at The King's Christian Academy in St. Mary’s County. The five remaining finalists were Aimee Pentermann (St. Mary's County), Colin Benedict (Anne Arundel County), Ellie Heath (Anne Arundel County), Joseph Griffin (Howard County), and Katie Spencer (Anne Arundel County)
Randolph Smith, an 11th grader at Concordia Preparatory High School in Baltimore County, was selected as the 2020 Poetry Out Loud (POL) Maryland State champion on March 7th during state finals at Baltimore Center Stage. He was among nine finalists that were selected from more than 24 Maryland students in nine counties that competed in the statewide competition. The POL poetry recitation contest is co-sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and The Poetry Foundation, and administered by U.S. state arts agencies and regional arts organizations across the country. The Maryland POL competition is produced by the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC).
Second place was awarded to Maylis Quesnel, a 12th grader at Richard Montgomery High School, Montgomery County, and third place went to Katie Spencer, a 10th grader at Indian Creek School, Anne Arundel County. The six remaining finalists were Joy Campbell (Frederick County), Allison (Faith) Comising (Howard County), Caroline Daley (St. Mary’s County), Ellie Heath (Anne Arundel County), Kate Maerten (Carroll County), and Sanjana Subramanian (Frederick County).
The NEA also produces Poetry Ourselves, an additional, optional competition that allows students to submit an original piece of poetry. The 2020 Maryland State Poetry Ourselves winner is Joy Campbell, an 11th grader at Oakdale High School in Frederick County. In 2021, the Poetry Ourselves competition will be suspended. Students interested in original poetry should refer to our POL Resources for writing competitions available throughout the state.