FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tues., March 3, 2026
CONTACT: Katlyn Svendsen, Global Public Relations & Content Services Senior Director, Travel South Dakota

STATE POETRY OUT LOUD CONTEST HIGHLIGHTS STUDENT TALENT

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota high school students will share their talents and the work of great poets while competing for the state title at the Poetry Out Loud recitation competition March 9 in Sioux Falls.

The event begins at 1 p.m. CDT, Monday, March 9, at the Washington Pavilion in Sioux Falls. *Five students will compete for the title of state champion through the recitation program. One student has already won the original poetry competition, and they will present their poems at the event. The contest is free to attend, open to the public, and will be livestreamed online at https://www.youtube.com/@SouthDakotaArtsCouncil. The student who places first at the state competition will represent South Dakota in Washington, D.C., and compete in the Poetry Out Loud National Finals, April 27-29, 2026.

Poetry Out Loud, a national arts education program, starts in the classroom and encourages the study of poetry by offering educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition to high schools across the country. South Dakota’s program is administered by the South Dakota Arts Council with help from Arts South Dakota and South Dakota Public Broadcasting.

Poetry Out Loud was created in partnership by the National Endowment for the Arts with the collaboration of state arts agencies. It is intended to foster the next generation of literary readers by building on the resurgence of poetry as an oral art form. Through Poetry Out Loud, students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about their literary heritage.

An office of the South Dakota Department of Tourism, the South Dakota Arts Council's mission is to provide grants and services to artists, arts organizations, and schools across the state, with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and the State of South Dakota. The South Dakota Department of Tourism is comprised of Travel South Dakota and the South Dakota Arts Council. The Department is led by Secretary James D. Hagen.

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*Media note, local interest

Students competing for the title of South Dakota Poetry Out Loud State Champion include: Damien Deen, Washington High School, Sioux Falls; Gabriel Gatilogo, St. Francis Indian School, St. Francis; Edom Hiruy, Jefferson High School, Sioux Falls; Mads McCullough, Brookings High School, Brookings; Nikolas Yellowboy, Little Wound High School, Kyle. The winner of the original poetry contest is Learys Mercado-Castello, Jefferson High School, Sioux Falls.