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All participating students begin by choosing and memorizing poems from the official Poetry Out Loud anthology, a collection of over 1,100 classic and contemporary poems. Students must have three poems prepared for the State and National Finals. Frost’s poems included Siren’s Song by Margaret Atwood and There are no kings in America by Aileen Cassinetto, with No, I wasn’t Meant to Love and Be Loved by Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib translated by Vijay Seshadri as the final recitation.
Selected videos of the finalists will be released on the ArtsWA You Tube channel by March 19. A full video of the entire competition will follow in the coming weeks.
Poetry Out Loud advances participating students from classrooms to school-wide competitions. Each school sends its top student to a regional competition. This year, ArtsWA partnered with four organizations to support school participation and regional competitions across the state: Spokane Arts in Eastern Washington, Yakima Valley College in Central Washington, Skagit River Poetry Foundation in Northwest Washington, and Southwest Puget Sound Community College in Southwest Washington. ArtsWA partnered with Tacoma Little Theatre to coordinate POL Virtual, which allows students from schools who do not register and home-schooled students to participate.
Student recitations are judged according to the Poetry Out Loud evaluation criteria, which include physical presence, voice and articulation, interpretation, evidence of understanding, and accuracy.
The 2025 Poetry Out Loud State Final judges included:
- Michelle Avitia, Arts in Public Places Program Coordinator, ArtsWA
- Elizabeth Hallberg, teacher at Governor John R. Rogers High School
- Jeanette Sanchez, actor, director & teaching artist
- Jasmine Mahmoud, Washington State Arts Commissioner
- Aileen Keown-Vaux, poet, essayist and education specialist
- Katie Taylor, Director of Secondary Education at the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction
As the Washington State Champion, Sydney Frost will receive an award of $200 and the opportunity to compete at the national championship. Mt. Spokane High School will receive a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry materials. Runner-up Nascha Martinez will receive $100, with $200 for the POL Virtual program’s resources.
About Poetry Out Loud
Poetry Out Loud encourages the study of great poetry by offering educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition to high school students across the country. Poetry Out Loud gives students an opportunity to master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about their literary heritage. To find out how to get involved in the Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Contest, visit poetryoutloud.org.
Poetry Out Loud is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Poetry Foundation, and Washington State Arts Commission (ArtsWA).
Read more about Poetry Out Loud in Washington State.
About the National Endowment for the Arts
Established by Congress in 1965, the NEA is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the NEA supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America's rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America. For more information, visit arts.gov.
About the Poetry Foundation
The Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine, is an independent literary organization committed to a vigorous presence for poetry in our culture. It exists to discover and celebrate the best poetry and to place it before the largest possible audience. The Poetry Foundation seeks to be a leader in shaping a receptive climate for poetry by developing new audiences, creating new avenues for delivery, and encouraging new kinds of poetry through innovative literary prizes and programs. For more information, please visit poetryfoundation.org.
About ArtsWA
ArtsWA is the Washington State Arts Commission, a state government agency established in 1961. ArtsWA works to be a catalyst for the arts, advancing the role of the arts in the lives of individuals and communities throughout the state. Programs include Art in Public Places, Arts in Education, Grants to Organizations, and other special projects. For more information visit arts.wa.gov.
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