Poetry Out Loud opens in S.C. for 2026 competition
SCAC offers in-school, individual student participation
REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Friday, December 12, 2025, 11:59 p.m. ET
Registration is open for South Carolina students to compete in Poetry Out Loud either through their schools or on their own again in the 2025/2026 schoolyear.
Poetry Out Loud seeks to foster the next generation of literary readers by capitalizing on the latest trends in poetry—recitation and performance and helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence as they learn about literary history and contemporary life. They choose from an extensive library of poetry to memorize and recite in competition with other students, with the goal of advancing to state finals competitions. State winners advance to the national finals, held each spring in Washington!
The National Endowment for the Arts and Poetry Foundation present Poetry Out Loud with the help of statewide arts partners like the SCAC in all 50 states, American Samoa, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The SCAC is proud to join these national partners annually to bring Poetry Out Loud to South Carolina high school students.
Two tracks. Two regions. One competition.
To best serve as many South Carolina students as possible, Poetry Out Loud offers school/organization registration (for schools or organizations and their students, in-person competitions) and individual regional student registration (in-person regional competition hosted by SCAC partner organizations) for those whose school/organization is not participating or are homeschooled.
Regions
For our purposes, South Carolina was divided into Upstate and Lowcountry regions, which hold competitions in both tracks. Confirm your region with this document.
- Upstate contact: Jesse Siak, Education Programs Manager for SC Children’s Theater (jesse@scchildrenstheatre.org).
- Lowcountry contact: Serenity Jones, Education Outreach Coordinator for Charleston Stage (sjones@charlestonstage.com).
School or organization track
All types of high schools are welcome to participate—public, private, parochial, independent, charter, etc.— and all students in grades 9-12 are eligible for participation and advancement in this program. In 8th grade? Those students who are enrolled in a high school English course are eligible to compete.
Schools must register with the SCAC in order to participate in the official state competition. The NEA provides all program materials (teacher’s guide, poetry anthology, CDs, posters) for distribution to participating schools.
Individual student track
If you would like to participate in POL but your school is not participating, register for the competition taking place in your region on these dates.
Upstate Regional Competition
- When: Jan. 10, 2026 at 1 p.m.
- Where: SC Children’s Theatre: 153 Augusta Street, Greenville SC
Lowcountry Regional Competition
- When: Jan. 17, 2026 at 10 a.m.
- Where: Charleston Stage: New Address TBA
State Finals Competition
Mark your calendars! The state finals will be held March 7, 2026 in Columbia.
Interested? Of course you are. The Poetry Out Loud page on the SCAC website has a host of helpful information: registration links, resources for teachers and tips for students, an FAQ section, and much more!
Register by Friday, Dec. 12, 2025 for this year’s competition.