‘And now I am moved to action’: 2024 NH Poetry Out Loud Championship set to take place March 15 at Representatives Hall

The top ten participants in the 2024 New Hampshire Poetry Out Loud competition will meet up at Representatives Hall in the State House on March 15 where they will vie to represent the Granite State at the national Poetry Out Loud championship in Washington, D.C., later this spring.

At the finals, high school students will each recite two poems they selected from Poetry Out Loud’s collection of some the best-known and respected poetry ever written. A panel of judges will score their presentations based on accuracy, voice and articulation, interpretation and other factors.

The four students with the highest scores advance to a final round, where they will recite a third poem. Scores from all three rounds are tallied to determine New Hampshire’s champion.

The competition begins promptly at 5 p.m. and is open to the public. It will be livestreamed on the N.H. State Council on the Arts’ Facebook account, facebook.com/NHArtsCouncil.

More than 3,000 students from thirty high schools participated in New Hampshire Poetry Out Loud this year. High school champions advanced to four semi-finals held in February, with the top ten moving on to the statewide finals.

A partnership of the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, Poetry Out Loud utilizes the study of great poetry to help students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence and learn about literary history and contemporary life. In New Hampshire, the program is managed by the N.H. State Council on the Arts.

Supporters of 2024 New Hampshire Poetry Out Loud include Brightspot Consultants; Currier Museum of Art; The Frost Place; New Hampshire Writers’ Project; North Country Education Services; Poetry Society of New Hampshire; Putnam Foundation, a donor-advised fund of the N.H. Charitable Foundation; and the hosts of the four semi-final competitions: New England College, Plymouth State University, the Rochester Opera House and Tupelo Music Hall.

To learn more about 2024 New Hampshire Poetry Out Loud, visit nh.gov/nharts. 

The New Hampshire State Council on the Arts is a division of the New Hampshire Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. It began in 1965 with legislation designed “to insure that the role of the arts in the life of our communities will continue to grow and play an ever more significant part in the education and welfare of our citizens.” Funding for programs is provided through state appropriations, a partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Conservation License Plate fund. Learn more about the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts at nh.gov/nharts. 

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