The Poetry Out Loud National Finals will be held in Washington, DC from April 27-29, 2026. The National Semifinals will be held on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, from 9:00 AM – 8:00 PM ET. Champions from each state will perform in one of three semifinal groups, and the top three students from each semifinal group will move on to the Poetry Out Loud National Finals on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, at 7:00 PM ET.
9:00 AM ET— Champions from Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, U.S. Virgin Islands, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia.
1:00 PM ET— Champions from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.
5:00 PM ET— Champions from Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, California, Colorado, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.
State Finals
| State/Territory | Date | Winner & School/Org |
| Alabama | February 26 | |
| Alaska | March 9 | |
| American Samoa | February 6 | |
| Arizona | March 7 | |
| Arkansas | February 28 | |
| California | March 8 | |
| Colorado | March 2 | |
| Connecticut | March 7 | |
| Delaware | February 19 | |
| District of Columbia | March 7 | |
| Florida | March 7 | |
| Georgia | March 6 | |
| Guam | March 6 | |
| Hawaii | February 22 | |
| Idaho | March 7 | |
| Illinois | March 2 | |
| Indiana | February 21 | |
| Iowa | March 8 | |
| Kansas | February 21 | |
| Kentucky | February 12 | |
| Louisiana | February 26 | |
| Maine | March 2 | |
| Maryland | March 7 | |
| Massachusetts | March 8 | |
| Michigan | TBD | |
| Minnesota | February 27 | |
| Mississippi | March 5 | |
| Missouri | March 3 | |
| Montana | March 7 | |
| Nebraska | March 8 | |
| Nevada | March 7 | |
| New Hampshire | March 6 | |
| New Jersey | March 3 | |
| New Mexico | March 8 | |
| North Carolina | February 28 | |
| North Dakota | February 23 | |
| Ohio | February 27 | |
| Oklahoma | March 4 | |
| Oregon | TBD | |
| Pennsylvania | March 3 | |
| Puerto Rico | March 13 | |
| Rhode Island | March 7 | |
| South Carolina | March 7 | |
| South Dakota | March 9 | |
| Tennessee | February 28 | |
| Texas | February 28 | |
| Utah | March 4 | |
| Vermont | March 5 | |
| Virgin Islands | TBD | |
| Virginia | March 5 | |
| Washington | March 7 | |
| West Virginia | March 7 | |
| Wisconsin | March 7 | |
| Wyoming | March 2 |