Alaska high schoolers have until Nov. 16 to sign up for Poetry Out Loud

Alaska high schools and students have until Nov. 16 to sign up for Poetry Out Loud, a contest where teens memorize and recite poems, with the state champion headed to the national finals in Washington, D.C., in April.

The Alaska State Council on the Arts and the Juneau Arts & Humanities Council announced the deadline Oct. 20. The Juneau council's program page still lists an earlier date, Nov. 2.

Schools hold classroom and schoolwide contests before winter break, and their winners move on to regional rounds in January, some judged by video. Ten students will advance to the state finals March 1 at KTOO in Juneau, which KTOO Public Media will stream live. The state arts council helps each finalist and a chaperone travel there.

Students in grades 9 through 12 can take part, along with eighth graders taking a high school class. Students whose schools don't run the program can sign up on their own. Every poem comes from the program's online anthology.

Alaska's 2026 champion, Cassie Lumba, recited at this year's national finals in Washington. The finals hand out $50,000 in awards and school stipends, and the 2026 national champion, an Indiana high school junior, won $20,000.

The National Endowment for the Arts started Poetry Out Loud in 2005, and more than 4.5 million students across the country have taken part, according to the registration guide. Registration is on the Juneau Arts & Humanities Council's website, where Summer A.H. Christiansen coordinates the program.