Honolulu Theatre For Youth and The Hawai'i State Foundation On Culture and The Arts Announce 2023 Poetry Out Loud State Finals

Honolulu Theatre for Youth (HTY) and the Hawai'i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts announce the winner of the 2023 Poetry Out Loud® State Finals.

Congratulations go to Irene Zhong, an 11th grader at Punahou School, who took 1st place in this yearʻs competition and earned the title of Hawaii State Champion. Ailsie Nakamura, a 12th grader at Hanalani Schools was the runner-up and Angelique Fliss, a 10th grader at Kapolei High School, placed third. 12 high school students representing Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Maui, Molokaʻi, and Hawaiʻi Island participated in the state finals, which took place at Tenney Theatre on Sunday, February 26, 2023.

"Every year, students in the Poetry Out Loud competition show us how the memorization and recitation of poetry can build self confidence, public speaking skills, and deepen their understanding of the art form of poetry," said Karen Ewald, Interim Executive Director at the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts (SFCA). "We at the SFCA congratulate each and every student who took part in the competition this year, regardless of if they made it to their school, the state, or the national competition."

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 buildself-confidence, while also learning more about both classic and contemporary poetry. Since the program began in 2005, more than 4.1 million students and 68,000 teachers from 17,000 schools across the country have participated in Poetry Out Loud.

The event which was held in-person for the first time since 2020, was hosted by Ben Gutierrez and featured an appearance by Brandy Nālani McDougall, the current Hawaiʻi State Poet Laureate. Guest judges included Laurel Nakanishi, Dr. Maya Soetoro-Ng, Mark Branner, and Sean-Joseph Choo.

Irene will receive $200, and Punahou School will receive a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry materials. As the first runner-up, Ailsie will receive $100, with a $200 stipend for Hanalani Schools.

Irene will advance to the Poetry Out Loud National Semi-Finals in Washington, DC. All 55 state and jurisdictional champions will compete in the national semifinals on Tuesday, May 9, from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00p.m. ET, with the top nine students advancing to the finals on Wednesday, May 10, from 7:00 to 9:15 p.m. ET. Both days are free and open to the public and will be available through a one-time-only webcast at arts.gov. In total, $50,000 in awards and school/organization stipends, including a $20,000 award for the Poetry Out Loud National Champion, will be presented at the National Finals. The Poetry Foundation provides and administers all aspects of the monetary prizes awarded and travel arrangements to the Poetry Out Loud National Finals.

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