Teachers Guide: Program Overview

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History of Program
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Poetry Foundation have joined together to create Poetry Out Loud, a program that encourages the nation’s youth to learn about great poetry through memorization and recitation.

The NEA and the Poetry Foundation have partnered with the State Arts Agencies of the United States to support an expansion of Poetry Out Loud. Since it was piloted in 2005, Poetry Out Loud has grown to include hundreds of thousands of students across the country. Champions from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico compete at the National Finals in Washington, DC.

Contest Structure
Poetry Out Loud uses a pyramid structure that begins at the classroom level. Winners advance to a schoolwide competition, then to a regional and/or state competition, and ultimately to the National Finals.

Classroom Time and Schedule
The curriculum for Poetry Out Loud has been designed to fit into a teacher’s busy schedule. The program takes place over the span of two to three weeks, according to each teacher’s interest and agenda, and it will not require full class periods during that time. To accommodate schools’ testing demands and vacation calendars, Poetry Out Loud can be implemented at the school level any time during the fall and through early winter, with slight variations by state. Please check with your State Coordinator for your state’s specific calendar. Schools must register with their State Coordinator to participate in the statewide program.

NCTE Standards
Poetry Out Loud satisfies most of the NCTE English Language Arts Standards. In addition to memorizing and performing great poems, students will have the opportunity to discuss poetry and—if the teacher wishes to use the supplemental lesson plans—to write poetry of their own.

Prizes
The following prizes are offered for the official contests identified and conducted by the government State Arts Agencies and the National Endowment for the Arts. The prizes do not apply to other unofficial contests.

STATE PRIZES: Each winner at the state level will receive $200 and an all-expenses-paid trip (with an adult chaperone) to Washington, DC, to compete at the National Finals. The state winner’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: A total of $50,000 in awards and school stipends will be given at the Poetry Out Loud National Finals, with a $20,000 award for the National Champion.

Awards will be made in the form of lump sum cash payouts, reportable to the IRS. Tax liabilities are the sole responsibility of the winners and their families.

Legal Participation Requirements
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. Foreign exchange students and other visitors are not eligible to compete for titles or official prizes at the state and national level, unless they are U.S. citizens or permanent residents. A National Champion is not eligible to compete in subsequent years.