West Virginia’s Poetry Out Loud Contest

Poetry Out Loud is a national contest in which high school students memorize and recite poetry for an audience. The competition begins on a school-wide level, with the winners at each school advancing to the statewide competition held at the Culture Center in Charleston February 28-March 1, 2025. The winners from each US state and territory then compete at the National Finals in Washington, D.C. each spring.

The Poetry Out Loud curriculum is designed to meet state and national standards in English Language Arts. Participation helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about their literary heritage. By studying, memorizing, and performing classic and contemporary poems, students become immersed in powerful expression and provocative ideas.

Champions from each school-wide contest are invited to compete at the West Virginia State Finals, held in the Norman L. Fagan State Theater at the Culture Center in Charleston. In addition to contestants from all over the state performing poetry, the event also features guest speakers and celebrated performers. Recent guests include storyteller and author Bil Lepp, West Virginia native and Oscar nominee Chris Sarandon, musicians Kaia Kater and Christian Lopez, poet Nikki Giovanni, and the state’s poet laureate Marc Harshman.

Registration is now open for this year’s Poetry Out Loud program. You’ll find the school & organization registration form at West Virginia Poetry Out Loud. Please register your school or organization by December 6, 2024.

As a reminder, Poetry Out Loud (POL) is open to currently enrolled students in grades 9-12. Student participation begins in the classroom/school or at the local level with an area organization. Winners may then advance to the state competition, and ultimately to the National Finals. Community organizations or homeschool associations may choose to sponsor POL competitions for students who are unable to participate in a school-based program.

For more information visit WV Culture Poetry Out Loud or contact Jim Wolfe, Arts in Education Coordinator (James.D.Wolfe@wv.gov).

Central WV Writing Project’s Young Writers Day 2025

About the Young Writers Contest

Since 1984, the West Virginia Young Writers Contest has celebrated student writing in the state. The contest grows out of a deep commitment to writing in all subjects, and to the publishing, displaying, and celebrating of student writing.

Contest Guidelines
Teachers and administrators in each county will encourage students to submit writing for judging, first at the school, and then the county level. Submissions may be on any topic and in any prose genre: fiction, nonfiction, narrative, memoir, or essay. Poetry is not eligible for submission and submissions must be free of graphics.

Entries should be the sole creation of the student and composed during the current school year. The entry should be drafted in a manner which best supports the use of process writing and the concept of the writer’s workshop.

Home-schooled students and students in private schools may participate, subject to the guidelines and supervision by the county in which they reside. YWC County Coordinators are encouraged to share contest information with private schools and home school associations. Winning entries from private schools and from home-schooled students must be judged at the county level.

Leaders from the Central West Virginia Writing Project (CWVWP) at Marshall University will judge entries on the following criteria: Ideas, Organization, Voice, Word Choice, Sentence Fluency, and Conventions.

Entries submitted for state competition at categories below must not exceed word length limits:

  • Grade 1-2 – 300 words
  • Grade 3-4 – 500 words
  • Grade 5-6 – 800 words
  • Grade 7-8 – 800 words
  • Grade 9-10 – 1,000 words
  • Grade 11-12 – 1,200 words

Schools need to submit entries to County Coordinators by February 10, 2025.

A completed cover sheet must accompany each entry for county judging. Additional directions from individual counties will be forwarded to schools regarding the preparation and submission of entries for judging at the county level. County Coordinators submit winning entries and related documents to the state level contest. No entries will be accepted from students, teachers, or school personnel. State winners will be notified in March, but not announced to the public until Young Writers Day on May 2, 2025, which will be held at the University of Charleston. First-place county winners will receive commemorative certificates and participate in workshops with published authors/presenters on WV Young Writers Day. State winners in each of the six contest categories will receive monetary prizes for first, second place, and third place.

Questions about the Contest?

Contact: Maggie Luma, Chief of Staff, June Harless Center at Maggie.luma@marshall.edu

Resources for Schools and Teachers

Resources for County Coordinators

Contest Forms

Young Writers Day Photos