Registration is now open for the Poetry Out Loud recitation competition, and the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts (RISCA) is encouraging high schools to take part in this national arts education program. The 2025-26 edition of Poetry Out Loud will focus on poems highlighting American history and culture to mark the nation’s 250th anniversary.
The deadline for high schools to register is November 17.
Rhode Island has participated in every national and local Poetry Out Loud competition since its inception 21 years ago. Last year, Emmanual Obisanya from Classical High School won at the state level and represented Rhode Island at the regional and national championships in Washington.
Poetry Out Loud is a collaboration between the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and RISCA. According to organizers, it aims at “lifting poetry off the page” and helps students develop public speaking skills. The finals, produced by Mid Atlantic Arts, bring together state and territorial winners from across the United States who compete for more than $100,000 in prizes.
“We are thrilled to partner with the NEA for another year to bring this venerable poetry education program to our high schools,” said Todd Trebour, Executive Director of RISCA. “For 21 years, RISCA has proudly supported and delivered this program to area high school students. Poetry Out Loud inspires an appreciation of great classic and contemporary poems, providing participating students with public speaking skills and life-long confidence.”
All U.S. states and several territories take part in Poetry Out Loud competitions. The program offers free educational resources nationwide, such as lesson plans, tips for reciting poetry, and an online anthology containing over 1,200 poems.
The competition begins at the classroom level, where students select, memorize, and recite poems from provided materials. Winners advance to state-level contests, with state champions moving on to regional and national finals.
Past Rhode Island champions include Emmanuel Obisanya (2025), Jennifer Shon (2024), Natasha Connolly (2023), Mariama Hawa Bandabaila (2022), Virginia Keister (2021), Nayeli Santana Vazquez (2020), among others.
For the 2025-26 school year, Damont Combs will return as director of Poetry Out Loud R.I., assisted by Kate Loman and guest poet Marlon Carey, along with RISCA’s Arts Education Director Seamus Hames.
Since its launch during the 2005-06 school year, Poetry Out Loud has reached more than 4.4 million students and 81,000 teachers from 20,000 schools nationwide.
