2026 Poetry Out Loud National Finals

Out of a field of 54 state and jurisdictional champions, nine high school students advanced to the 2026 Poetry Out Loud National Finals on Wednesday, April 29, 2026. Hosted by actress Justine “Icy” Moral, these young people recited poems by historic American poets, competing for the title of 2026 Poetry Out Loud National Champion and a $20,000 cash prize. Poetry Out Loud is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with participating state and jurisdictional arts agencies and administered by Mid Atlantic Arts. It has reached more than 4.5 million students since it began in 2005. This year’s state and jurisdictional champions advanced from more than 130,000 students nationwide. Learn more at poetryoutloud.org. Mallory Lott 0:22:49 Jaden Conley 0:24:51 Hadas Frish 0:26:55 Astrid Santos 0:30:20 Oona Borovicka 0:33:26 Jayda Dawn 0:36:47 Damien Andre Deen 0:39:46 Joeltica Rogers 0:41:43 Cassie Lumba 0:44:39 Mallory Lott 0:51:57 Jaden Conley 0:56:39 Hadas Frish 1:01:15 Astrid Santos 1:04:04 Oona Borovicka 1:07:22 Jayda Dawn 1:11:08 Damien Andre Deen 1:13:59 Joeltica Rogers 1:19:44 Cassie Lumba 1:22:43 Jaden Conley 1:39:46 Jayda Dawn 1:42:00 Damien Andre Deen 1:43:21