Madera County, CA – The Madera County Arts Council will host the 2026 California Poetry Out Loud competition for local high school students on Friday, February 6, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. The event takes place in the Board of Supervisors Chambers at the Madera County Government Center, 200 W. 4th Street, 1st Floor, Madera.
Finalists in the county competition will present their memorized poetry before a panel of judges in this live recitation event. Winners at the county level typically go on to represent their county at the California state finals in Sacramento, where students compete with other county champions.
Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program designed to support high school students in learning and performing great poetry through memorization, interpretation, and public recitation. The program is a partnership of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Poetry Foundation, and the California Arts Council. It encourages young people to develop public speaking skills, self-confidence, and an appreciation of literary history and contemporary life.
Established in classrooms and schools each fall, the competition’s structure typically moves from classroom and school contests to county finals, state finals, and ultimately the national Poetry Out Loud finals in Washington, D.C. for state champions.
The Madera County event is open to the public and marks a key step in the 2026 Poetry Out Loud season, celebrating student achievement in the spoken word.
