For immediate release: February 5, 2026
Honolulu Theatre for Youth and the Hawaiʻi State Foundation on Culture and the Arts announce 2026 Poetry Out Loud Hawaiʻi Final
HONOLULU, Hawaiʻi — Honolulu Theatre for Youth (HTY) and the Hawai’i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts (SFCA) are pleased to announce the 2026 Poetry Out Loud® Hawai’i State Final which will be held on Sunday, February 22, 2026 at 3pm. Thirteen high school students from across the state will participate in the Poetry Out Loud® Hawai’i Final at Tenney Theatre at the Cathedral of St. Andrew in downtown Honolulu.
The event will be emceed by longtime Poetry Out Loud® supporter, Ben Gutierrez, and is a free event open to the public. No tickets or reservations are necessary. Free parking is available, and doors open at 2:45pm. Participating students will be judged by an esteemed panel including Maya Soetoro-Ng, Walter Eccles, Cameryn Richardson, and Kalehua Fung, the 2022 Youth Poet Laureate.
About Poetry Out Loud
Poetry Out Loud® is a partnership of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Hawai’i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, and Honolulu Theatre for Youth and is a dynamic recitation competition for high school students that can help students improve public speaking skills, build confidence, and grow their appreciation for poetry. Student competitors recite works they memorized from the official program anthology provided by the NEA.
Since 2005, the national program has served more than 4.5 million students and 81,000 teachers from 20,000 schools across the country, creating community and connection through poetry. Hawai’i began participating in 2006 and over the years, more than fifty different public, charter, private schools and homeschool networks have participated representing Kauai, Oahu, Maui, Lanai, Molokai, and Hawaii Island. The winner of the Poetry Out Loud Hawai’i Final will receive $200, and the winner’s representing school will receive a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry materials. The first runner-up will receive $100, with $200 for their representing school to purchase poetry materials. The winner will also advance to the Poetry Out Loud National Semi-Finals in Washington, DC, this April to compete for the National Champion title and $20,000 grand prize.
About the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)
Established by Congress in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts is an independent federal agency that is the largest funder of the arts and arts education in communities nationwide and a catalyst of public and private support for the arts. By advancing opportunities for arts participation and practice, the NEA fosters and sustains an environment in which the arts benefit everyone in the United States. To learn more, visit arts.gov.
About Honolulu Theatre for Youth (HTY)
Honolulu Theatre for Youth (HTY) Honolulu Theatre for Youth (HTY) is a theatre of place, deeply rooted in the cultures and people of the Pacific and dedicated to serving young people, families and educators across the Hawaiian Islands. Founded in 1955, HTY is one of the oldest professional TYA companies in the country and is recognized for its long history of innovative drama education programming and the creation of original theatrical works that celebrate the diverse cultures of Hawaiʻi. Explore HTY online at htyweb.org.
About the Hawaiʻi State Foundation on Culture and the Arts (SFCA)
The mission of the Hawai’i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts (SFCA) is to promote, perpetuate, preserve and encourage culture and the arts as central to the quality of life of the people of Hawai’i. The SFCA holds as a core value support for the appreciation and practice of the arts by people throughout their lives. Find out more at sfca.hawaii.gov.