Poetry Out Loud is a national poetry recitation competition for high school students that begins in the classroom and culminates in the National Finals in Washington, DC. Drawing upon elements of spoken word, theater, and slam poetry, Poetry Out Loud cultivates an appreciation of poetry that goes beyond the page.

On March 7, 2026, the Arizona Poetry Out Loud State Finals were held at The University of Arizona Poetry Center, in Tucson. We're delighted to announce the 2026 Arizona National Finalist, Liam McLaughlin, as well as the second through fourth place winners: Samuel Hazen, Emily Kodicek, and Aymar Ramos. Congratulations to the four of them as well as to all of the state finalists who competed on March 7!

The winners recited the following poems: 

Liam McLaughlin, Gary K. Herberger Young Scholars Academy

• "Casey at the Bat" by Ernest Lawrence Thayer
• "Christmas Bells" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
• "A Nation's Strength" by William Ralph Emerson

Samuel Hazen, Brophy College Preparatory

• "Ships That Pass in the Night" by Paul Laurence Dunbar
• "O Captain! My Captain!" by Walt Whitman
• "Spring in War-Time" by Sara Teasdale

Emily Kodicek, Xavier College Preparatory

• "Our Own Twelve Anti-suffragist Reasons" by Alice Duer Miller
• "O Captain! My Captain!" by Walt Whitman
• "Songs for the People" by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper

Aymar Ramos, Flowing Wells High School 

• "A Far Country" by Leslie Pinckney Hill
• "Give All To Love" by Ralph Waldo Emerson
• "O Captain! My Captain!" by Walt Whitman

Liam McLaughlin will compete in the National Finals, which will be held on April 27-29th in Washington, DC.

Congratulations to all of the 2026 Arizona POL State Finalists!