The Kentucky Arts Council will host the 2026 Kentucky Poetry Out Loud State Championship on Feb. 12 at 10:30 a.m. at the Farish Theater at the Lexington Public Library.
A student from Beechwood High School is among students expected to compete. also competing are students from George Rogers Clark High School, Walden School, Pendleton County High School, Elizabethtown High School, Kentucky Country Day School and Williamstown High School are expected to participate.
Last year’s state champion was Javontae Cranmo, a Beechwood student.
“We all have the ability to teleport – to take ourselves out of our own mind and slip into the mind of our poets,” said Cranmo. “Poetry is my Mona Lisa. It makes me curious. And that curiosity, that ability to teleport, is my magic. And poetry is magic. . .Poetry Out Loud showed me that we all have magic.”
Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that encourages the study of poetry by offering free educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition for high school students across the country.
Participating students must be in grades 9-12, and any representative of a Kentucky public or private high school may participate. Each school receives an artist residency, hosts their own school championship and has the opportunity for the school champion to attend the state competition.
State champions will compete in the national competition in which a total of $50,000 in awards, including a $20,000 award for the National Champion.
Since the program began in 2005, more than 4.5 million high school students have participated in this dynamic poetry recitation competition. Poetry Out Loud can help students improve public speaking skills, build confdence, and grow their appreciation for poetry.
In recognition of America’s 250th anniversary in 2026, the 2025-2026 Poetry Out Loud program will focus on poems that celebrate the rich tapestry of American history and culture. An updated list of poems for this year’s competition is available at PoetryOutLoud.org.
The state event is a three-round poetry recitation competition sponsored by the Kentucky Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts. In the first and second rounds, each student is judged on the recitation of two poems.
Five finalists are then judged on the recitation of a third poem.
The students and their teachers select all poems from the anthology of classic and contemporary works.
The event is open to the public, but space is limited.