Mid-Michigan high schoolers to participate in statewide poetry competition

Students from schools across Michigan will compete in a statewide poetry competition this month and some of them are from Mid-Michigan.

“Poetry Out Loud is an impressive showcase of student skill and creative expression each year, and a powerful way for student stories to be shared through the arts and humanities,” said Michigan Humanities President and CEO Shelly Hendrick Kasprzycki. “We look forward to seeing the students represent their schools in this fifteenth year of Michigan’s Poetry Out Loud State Finals.” 

The Michigan state champion receives a $1200 cash award, $1500 stipend for their school, and an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, DC, to represent Michigan at the national competition and compete for a $20,000 award. At the state level, the first runner-up will receive $600, with $700 for their school. The second runner-up will receive $200, with $200 for their school. The third runner-up will receive $100, with $100 for their school.

Michigan's Poetry Out Loud program is funded through a partnership between Michigan Humanities and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs. Additional support is generously provided by the Liesel Litzenburger Meijer Fund, National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Poetry Foundation.