Since spring 2006, The National Endowment for the Arts and The Poetry Foundation have been partnering with U.S. state arts agencies to support Poetry Out Loud, “a contest that encourages the nation's youth to learn about great poetry through memorization and recitation.” Participating students recite a poem of their choice, using materials that schools receive by partnering with their state arts agency. They first compete in the classroom, then at a school-wide competition, then at the state level, and then for the National Finals against 375,000 other students.

This program helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about their literary heritage – along with supporting poetry in schools by awarding a total of $50,000.00 to state finalist’s high schools across the country to purchase poetry books for their school libraries.  

On Tuesday, April 30, Langston Ward, a senior at Mead High School in Spokane, Washington, won the title of 2013 Poetry Out Loud National Champion at the National Finals held at George Washington University’s Lisner Auditorium in Washington, D.C. With this achievement, Ward received a $20,000 award and his high school, Mead High School, received a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry books. 

Ward recited Walt Whitman’s “A March in the Ranks Hard-Prest, and the Road Unknown” and Li-Young Lee’s “The Gift” at the Tuesday evening finals, and closed with “The Bad Old Days,” a poem by Kenneth Rexroth. When asked about his future relationship with poetry, Ward said, “I’ll keep these poems with me forever, that much I know.” Read the full interview with Langston Ward on the Poetry Foundation website.

Blessed Sheriff of Rockville, Maryland, came in second place and received a $10,000 award, and Denise L. Burns of Lawton, Oklahoma, received the third-place prize and a $5,000 award. In addition, the 4th – 9th place finalists each received a $1,000 award, and their schools received $500 each. The other finalists were Rapheal Mathis (Plainfield, IL); Oluwatosin Oyeyemi Ajagbe (Woodbury, MN); Russell Heitmann (Hebron, NE); Kavita Oza (Hightstown, NJ); Maria Jose Zuniga (Coppell, TX); and Josae Martin (St. Thomas, Virgin Islands).

In 2014, states will hold their competitions by mid-March. Following the state finals, the National Finals will be held in Washington, DC, April 28-30, 2014.