Each year UA&M sponsors two different poetry competitions for students in grades 9-12. Students are welcome to participate in either contest or in both.

Poetry Out Loud is the nationwide competition for students to memorize and recite the works of classical and modern masters.

Poetry Ourselves is a Utah competition for Utah’s 9th-12th graders who wish to submit their own original poetry.

• Student workshops with Utah Poet Laureate Lisa Bickmore are available for schools that register for POL, hold a school competition, and send a candidate to compete in their regional competition.
• The state winner of Poetry Out Loud and one accompanying adult will receive a free trip to Washington, D.C. to compete in the national finals.
• The national Poetry Out Loud competition awards more than $100K in prizes to students and to their schools for the purchase of poetry books for their library. A $20K award goes to the national champion.
• The winner of Poetry Ourselves also receives a cash prize.
• The Utah Poetry Ourselves competition does not send winners to compete at a national level. However, all state Poetry Our Loud winners are invited to submit their own original poetry to the national Poetry Ourselves event while competing in DC.

Important Dates

The calendar for the 2024/25 high school poetry competitions include the following important deadlines.

• School-level Poetry Out Loud competitions must be held by early February, 2025. (Exact deadlines will vary by region and are TBD.)
• Student entries to Poetry Ourselves must be submitted by February 7, 2025.
• POL Regional Competitions will be held by February 21, 2025.
• Utah State POL Finals in SLC - March 12, 2025 | 7 p.m., Mid-Valley Performing Arts Center in Taylorsville
• National Finals in DC - May 5-7, 2025

For Poetry Out Loud, teachers must register for their school or class to participate and then hold a school-level competition to send a winner to regionals.

• A stipend of up to $100 is available for teachers who register, successfully administer a POL competition for their students and complete a report form to UA&M.
• Schools who participate in POL are eligible to request a school appearance from Utah Poet Laureate, Lisa Bickmore at no cost. Read more about this exciting opportunity, including how to request a school visit on our Poet Laureate page.
• No need to register individual students for POL. (However, if a student wishes to participate, but their teacher or school does not, please contact [email protected] for help.)
• To sign up, click the registration button below. Select the geographic region for your school and then look for the small box on the right-hand side of your screen (with the “Create Account” button) to get started.
• After you register, your regional coordinator will reach out with more help and information.
• Guidance for organizing a POL Competition – and other great resources – are available at the national Poetry Out Loud website.

For Poetry Ourselves, students must register and submit their original poems directly.

• To sign up, click the registration button below. Select “Poetry Ourselves” from the list of contests, and then look for the small box on the right-hand side of your screen (with the “Create Account” button) to get started.
• Students may submit either one or two original poems of any format - OR - up to a maximum of ten original haiku.
• Submitted poems must be 25 lines or less (each line of 12 pt. type with one-inch margins counts as one line). Longer poems will be disqualified.