SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — 14 award-winning teenagers from across Illinois are set to compete in Springfield for a slot in the 2026 Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Contest in Washington D.C. in late April.
The Springfield Area Arts Council will host the students, who were winners and runners-up in competitions held in February.Â
The students study, memorize and recite classic poetry at each level of competition. They are then judged by a panel of poets, teachers and performers.Â
The state champion will receive a trip to Washington D.C. for the national competition, joining a field of 54 students going for the top prize of $20,000.
"Most days, I worry for our young people," said Anglique Grandone, a regional program director for the Illinois Arts Council. "But reading these selections makes me so hopeful. The kids — they get it. And they've found a way to speak to the moment."
The state competition will be held on Monday, March 2 at 10 a.m. in the LRS Theatre of the Hoogland Center for the Arts in downtown Springfield. The event is free and open to the public.
To learn more about the Poetry Out Loud program, click here.
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