INDIANA – The Indiana Arts Commission (IAC) announced Tuesday that students representing fourteen high schools from around the state will compete in the Indiana Poetry Out Loud State Finals.
The Poetry Out Loud State Finals will occur on Saturday, March 4th at 1:30 p.m. ET at the Indiana Government Center Conference Center.
Since 2005, the National Endowment for the Arts, Poetry Foundation, and Indiana Arts Commission have worked with Indiana schools, teachers, and organizations to bring students a unique way to learn and love poetry. Through Poetry Out Loud, students read, memorize, and recite classic and contemporary poems.
The fourteen students taking part in the 2023 Poetry Out Loud State Finals include:
| Minh Huynh | Bloomington High School South |
| Charlotte Griffith | Clay High School |
| Allison Mullett | Columbia City High School |
| Sreepadaarchana Munjuluri | Columbus North High School |
| Austin Menefee | Columbus Signature Academy New Tech Campus |
| Corbin Malchow | Delta High School |
| Lukka M. Sumner | Franklin Central High School |
| Gaia Splendore | Homestead High School |
| Serenity Akers | Indiana Digital Learning School |
| Chloe Duncan | Ivy Tech Early College High School |
| Eliana M. Ortega | Jasper High School |
| Matilde E Ibarra | Monroe Central Jr./Sr. High School |
| Aalihya Banks | Pike High School |
| Shelby Lloyd | West Washington Jr./Sr. High School |
The finals will be hosted by Hannah Coe and Charlotte Yeung. Hannah Coe is a freshman at Ball State University and currently serves as the Program Assistant for Poetry Out Loud. She is a former Poetry Out Loud State Finalist and a current Ball State University student studying Art Education. Charlotte Yeung is the 2022 Indianapolis Youth Poet Laureate. Her award-winning art and writing are published on multiple platforms from the New York Times to Carnegie Hall. She will compete for the National Youth Poet Laureate title in Hawaii in late April.
The State Champion receives a $200 cash prize and the Champion’s school receives a $500 stipend to purchase poetry books. Each student winner receives a handmade trophy created by textile artist Emily Bennett of Terre Haute, IN. The State Champion will also represent Indiana at the Poetry Out Loud National Finals, where the National Champion will be awarded $20,000.
Poetry Out Loud is a national partnership between the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation.
