2024 POETRY OUT LOUD State Finals Announced By Honolulu Theatre For Youth And The Hawai'i State Foundation On Culture And The Arts

Honolulu Theatre for Youth (HTY) and the Hawai'i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts announce the state finals for Poetry Out Loud. Presented in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Poetry Foundation that encourages the study of great poetry by offering free educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition for high school students. Students master public speaking skills and build self-confidence while learning more about classic and contemporary poetry.

Since the program began in 2005, more than 4.3 million students and 76,000 teachers from 19,000 schools across the country have participated in Poetry Out Loud. Hawai'i began participating in 2006 and over the years, more than 50 different public, charter, private schools and homeschool networks have participated representing Kauai, Oahu, Maui, Lanai, Molokai, and Hawaii Island.

On Sunday, February 25, 2024, 13 high school students from 13 schools representing four (4) islands will participate in the Poetry Out Loud Hawai'i Final at Tenney Theatre at the Cathedral of St. Andrew in Honolulu.  

The event will be held in-person and is a free event open to the public. No tickets necessary. Audience seating will open at 12:45 PM and the competition will begin at 1 PM.  

The winner of the Poetry Out Loud Hawai'i Final will receive $200, and the winner's representing school or organization will receive a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry materials. The first runner-up will receive $100, with $200 for their representing school or organization to purchase poetry materials. The Hawai'i champion will advance to the Poetry Out Loud National Finals in Washington, DC this May. All 55 state and jurisdictional champions will compete in the national semifinals on Wednesday, May 1, from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET, with the top nine students advancing to the finals on Thursday, May 2, from 7:00 to 9:15 p.m. ET.

About the National Endowment for the Arts

 

Established by Congress in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the Arts Endowment supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America's rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America. Visit arts.gov to learn more.

About the Poetry Foundation

The Poetry Foundation recognizes the power of words to transform lives. The organization works to amplify poetry and celebrate poets by fostering spaces for all to create, experience, and share poetry. 

About Honolulu Theatre for Youth

Honolulu Theatre for Youth (HTY) Honolulu Theatre for Youth (HTY) is a theatre of place, deeply rooted in the cultures and people of the Pacific and dedicated to serving young people, families and educators across the Hawaiian Islands. Founded in 1955, HTY is one of the oldest professional TYA companies in the country and is recognized for its long history of innovative drama education programming and the creation of original theatrical works that celebrate the diverse cultures of Hawaiʻi. Explore HTY online at htyweb.org.

About State Foundation on Culture and the Arts

The mission of the Hawai'i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts (SFCA) is to promote, perpetuate, preserve and encourage culture and the arts as central to the quality of life of the people of Hawai'i. The SFCA holds as a core value support for the appreciation and practice of the arts by people throughout their lives. Find out more at sfca.hawaii.gov.

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