Unleash Your Voice: Enter Poetry Out Loud & Win Big!
Love performing? Want a chance to win $20,000? Are you in 8th-12th grade?
🏆 BIG REWARDS AWAIT! 🏆
💰 Win Cash Prizes at the School, Regional, and State Levels!
🏅 Gain Recognition Across South Carolina and Beyond!
🎭 Build Confidence, Public Speaking Skills, and Stage Presence!
🗣️ Express Yourself — Your Voice Matters!
🖊️ Individual Registration Deadline for SC Poetry Out Loud: Friday, December 12, 2025, at 11:59 PM ET
8th grade students must be in a 9th- through 12th-grade class to be eligible.
How do I register myself for the individual regional competition since my school i s not hosting a school-based Poetry Out Loud competition?
👉 Register here today to receive the official materials and resources to get started!
Do you have questions? Contact Rock Hill Poet Laureate Carlo L'Chelle Dawson.
Don’t miss this chance to celebrate student voices and creativity through poetry.
Bring the Power of Poetry to Your School – Host a Poetry Out Loud Competition!
Calling all teachers, librarians, & administrators!
Your school is invited to participate in Poetry Out Loud (POL), a national poetry recitation competition that helps students build confidence, develop public speaking skills, and discover the joy of literature.
Who can participate: Students in 8th grade through 12th grade, with an exception made for 8th-grade students participating in a 9th- through 12th-grade class.
What’s involved: Schools host their own competition—classroom, grade-level, or school-wide—and advance one student to the city level competition that will be hosted by Rock Hill Poet Laureate (RHPL) Carlo L'Chelle Dawson. One student will be selected to go on to the state contest.
Why participate: It’s free, inspiring, and easy to run! Poetry Out Loud provides all the materials you need, including lesson plans, judging rubrics, and a curated anthology. And, there are prizes!
City-Level Winners: Gift Card Prizes & certificates will be awarded for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners. (1st place moves on to regional competition to compete for state winner.)
State Winner: Receives a $200 prize and an all-expenses-paid trip to the national competition, with a $500 stipend awarded to their school.
National Winner: Receives $20,000, the 2nd place winner receives $10,000, and the 3rd place winner receives $5,000 , 4th–9th Places: $1,000 each. All receive cash prizes for their schools.
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How do I register our school? 👉 Register your school/organization here today to receive the official materials and resources to get started! (School Registration deadline is December 12th. FYI: We are the Olde English Hub.)
Do you need help coordinating your schoolwide competition or need a host or judges? Contact Rock Hill Poet Laureate Carlo L'Chelle Dawson. She will connect you with a list of possible hosts and judges.
Don’t miss this chance to celebrate student voices and creativity through poetry.
For Rock Hill Poetry Out Loud details,
Contact RHPL Carlo L'Chelle Dawson at carlolchelledawson@gmail.com.
The Power of Poetry
Jorge Luis Borges
"Truly fine poetry must be read aloud. A good poem does not allow itself to be read in a low voice or silently. If we can read it silently, it is not a valid poem: a poem demands pronunciation."
