MEDIA ADVISORY: Florida Department of State to Host Poetry Out Loud State Finals in Tallahassee

Tallahassee, FL –

The Florida Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, announces the 2014 Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Contest state finals. The program encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance, and competition. High schools throughout Florida held classroom and school-wide contests earlier in the year, and each school winner will compete on March 1, 2014 at the R.A. Gray building in Tallahassee. State champions from all 50 states will advance to the Poetry Out Loud National Finals, to take place on April 29-30, 2014, in Washington, DC.

The Florida state champion will receive $200 and an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, DC, to compete for the national championship. The state champion’s school will receive a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry books. The first runner-up in the state will receive $100, with $200 for his or her school library. Poetry Out Loud will award a total of $50,000 in cash and school stipends at the National Finals, including a $20,000 award for the Poetry Out Loud National Champion. For further information on Poetry Out Loud, visit poetryoutloud.org.

DATE: March 1, 2014

TIME: 9:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

LOCATION: Heritage Hall Auditorium
R.A. Gray Building
500 S. Bronough Street
Tallahassee, FL 32301