ACNV’s Annual High School Poetry Recitation Contest Now Virtual
Greater Opportunity for Community to View National Poetry Out Loud Competition
Photo Credit @Robb McDonough
Arts Council Napa Valley (ACNV) announces the Napa County finals for Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Contest, a virtual competition premiering on Thursday, February 25, 2021.
Poetry Out Loud, presented in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, is a national program that encourages high school students to learn about great poetry—both classic and contemporary—through memorization, performance and competition. Since the program began in 2005, more than four million students across the country have participated in Poetry Out Loud. Since the program’s inception, Arts Council Napa Valley has facilitated the Napa County program, with last year’s county winner, Vintage High School Senior, Malia Cruz, winning the state award for original poetry.
On February 25, Arts Council Napa Valley will present eight Napa County students in a virtual presentation of the county finals. Produced by Lucky Penny Productions, the virtual contest will include 16 poems recited by students and will announce the Napa County Poetry Out Loud winner and runner-up. The winner will receive a $200 scholarship and the runner-up will receive a $100 scholarship. The student that takes first place in the Napa County competition will go on to the California State Finals and will have a chance to compete in the National Finals in Washington, D.C.
Schools and organizations participating include New Tech High School, Vintage High School, Napa High School, Justin-Siena High School and the Boys and Girls Club of Napa Valley.
The virtual county competition will be available online on February 25, 2021, at 12 p.m. and is free to the public. To watch the event, visit ArtsCouncilNapaValley.org or @ArtsCouncilNV on Facebook.
Thank you to the program’s sponsors, The Poetry Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Lucky Penny Productions and Napa Bookmine.
About Poetry Out Loud
Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that encourages the study of great poetry by offering free educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition for high school students across the country. This program helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about literary history and contemporary life. Poetry Out Loud is a partnership of the National Endowment for the Arts, Poetry Foundation, and the state and jurisdictional arts agencies. Since 2005, Poetry Out Loud has grown to reach more than 4 million students and 65,000 teachers from 16,000 schools in every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa. Learn more at poetryoutloud.org.
About Arts Council Napa Valley
As the official local arts agency in Napa County, Arts Council Napa Valley connects, advocates, and leads the arts community countywide. Since 1981, the Arts Council has served to benefit all residents with a more sustainable, accessible, and quality local arts scene. For more information, visit artscouncilnapavalley.org.