2024 Illinois Poetry Out Loud Regional Contest Schedule
Region #1 – Southern Illinois
Contest Date: Friday, February 9, 2024
Contest Start Time: 5:30 PM
Contest Location: Artspace 304, 304 W. Walnut, Carbondale, IL For more information contact: Carolyn Deane, cdeane@artspace304.org
Region #2 Southwestern, South Central Illinois
Contact Date: Thursday, February 8, 2024
Contest Start Time: 4:00 PM
Contest Location: Schmidt Art Center, SWIC Belleville Campus, 2500 Carlyle
Ave., Belleville, IL For more information contact: Amy Brockman, Amy.Brockman@swic.edu
Region #3 Central Illinois
Contest Date: February 15, 2024
Contest Start Time: 4:00 PM
Contest Location: Hoogland Center for the Arts, 420 S Sixth St., Springfield, IL For more information contact: Sheila Walk, programs@springfieldartsco.org
Region #4 Eastern Illinois
Contest Date: Thursday, February 8, 2024
Contest Start Time: 5:30 PM
Contest Location: Independent Media Center, 202 S. Broadway Ave., Urbana, IL For more information contact: Kelly White, kwhite@40north.org or Elsie Hedgspeth, EHedgspeth@40north.org
Region #5 Western Illinois
Contest Date: Saturday, February 17, 2024
Contest Start Time: 10:00 AM
Contest Location: Annawan High School, 501 W South St., Annawan, IL For more information contact: Tracy Alan White, tracyalanwhite@gmail.com
Region #6 Northern Illinois
Contest Date: Wednesday, February 12, 2024
Contest Start Time: 4:00 PM
Contest Location: Jefferson High School, 4145 Samuelson Rd, Rockford, IL For more information contact: Kayla Acton, kayla@artsforeveryone.com
Region #7 Chicagoland – Schools in Chicago only Contest Date: Wednesday, February 7, 2024
Contest Start Time: 10:00 AM
Contest Location: The Poetry Foundation, 61 W. Superior St., Chicago For more information contact: Joy Young, joy@poetrycenter.org
Region #7 Chicagoland – Chicago Metro Area - Suburban schools (outside of Chicago) only
Contest Date: Wednesday, February 14, 2024
Contest Start Time: 10:00 AM
Contest Location: The Poetry Foundation, 61 W. Superior St., Chicago For more information contact: Joy Young, joy@poetrycenter.org
Statewide Illinois POL Contest
Contest Date: March 11, 2024
Contest Start Time: 10:00 AM
Contest Location: Hoogland Center for the Arts, Springfield For more information contact: Sheila Walk, programs@springfieldartsco.org
TYPICAL YEARLY POETRY OUT LOUD SCHEDULE
Typically, all Illinois regional Poetry Out Loud contests are held throughout the month of February. The Illinois state contest is held in early March. The national contest is held in Washington, D.C. The 2024 national POL contest is scheduled for April 30 – May 2, 2024.
Generally, each state contest winner must register to participate in the national contest approximately six weeks prior to the national contest date. Exact date for national contest registration will be provided to the Illinois state contest winner after the state contest concludes.
Teachers and students should plan on spending approximately three weeks on the POL curriculum materials and preparing for their school’s contest. Consider the timing of the regional contest for your school when planning the introduction of the POL curriculum and scheduling a school contest.
Students must participate in a school-level contest prior to competing in a regional contest. All regional contests require that schools register with the regional POL coordinator, the name of their school’s contest winner and the poems to be recited.
Eligibility rules, lesson plans, tips for organizing contests, examples of students' recitations, and the list of poems approved to be recited during school, regional and the national contests, etc., can be found on the official Poetry Out Loud website; www.poetryoutloud.org. Be mindful that the list of approved poems changes every year.
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