2026.03.04 Illinois Arts Council Announces State Poetry Out Loud Winners

After three rounds of powerful recitations at the Poetry Out Loud Illinois state finals, Jaden Conley from Niles West High School (Skokie) emerged as the 2026 Illinois Poetry Out Loud state champion. Selected by a panel of recitation and accuracy judges, Conley captivated the audience with his recitations of "Mother to Son" by Langston Hughes; "Chicago" by Carl Sandburg; and "Enigma" by Leonora Speyer. Upon receiving his award, Conley remarked, "Mrs. (Sally) Graham reminded me to enjoy the moment and to trust the work I already had put in-to perform the way that I've practiced and to let the poem speak for itself."

Asked later about his experience, Conley said that, through Poetry Out Loud, he "...learned to trust what feels authentic to me, regardless of what anyone else is doing. After (the contest), a judge told me to listen to criticism but still make my craft MY OWN craft. That really stuck with me."

Elliana Sheehan from Wheaton-Warrenville South High School in Wheaton earned second place in the competition. Her teacher is Craig Lawrence.

Fourteen students from across Illinois gathered at the Hoogland Center for the Arts on Monday, March 2, vying for the opportunity to represent the prairie state at the national contest in Washington, D.C., this April. Special guests were Illinois Poet Laureate Mark Turcotte and Greg McCormick, director of the Illinois State Library.

This year marks the 21 ^st anniversary of Poetry Out Loud, a program that continues to flourish in Illinois. More than 2,900 students and nearly 120 teachers from 31 high schools took part in this year's Poetry Out Loud program.

2026 Illinois Poetry Out Loud regional winners and their high schools:

• Revolution Chaput - Chester, Chester
• Lana Cooper - University of Illinois Laboratory, Urbana
• Jillian Garcia - Eisenhower, Decatur (finalist)
• Feben Gates - Eureka, Eureka (finalist)
• Mikiah Gerrity - Jefferson, Rockford
• Aminah Givens - Rockford East, Rockford (finalist)
• Rebekah Kreighbaum - Freeburg Community, Freeburg
• Yarely Lopez - Walter Payton College Prep, Chicago
• Sam Miller - Eureka, Eureka
• Ace O'Malley - Southeast, Springfield
• Julia Sohn - University of Illinois Laboratory, Urbana
• Victoria Syverson - University of Chicago Laboratory, Chicago

The Illinois Poetry Out Loud program is a collaboration between the Illinois Arts Council and six regional arts agencies. The 2026 state competition was coordinated by Susan Dickson ( [email protected]), Illinois Arts Council Program Director, and Sheila Walk ([email protected]), Arts Education Coordinator of the Springfield Area Arts Council.

Recitation judges included Adam Flores (professor of theater in Carlinville), Antonio Foli (writer and performer from Chicago), Jenna Goldsmith (former city poet laureate of Rockford), and Corey Van Landingham (poet and associate professor in Urbana-Champaign), with Thèa Chesley (poet from Springfield) serving as the accuracy judge.

Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts , working in partnership with state arts agencies nationwide. The initiative fosters an appreciation for classic and contemporary poetry through analysis, memorization, performance, and competition while building both performance skills and self-confidence. Students from all 50 states, Washington, D.C.; the U.S. Virgin Islands; Guam; American Samoa; and Puerto Rico participate annually. To learn more about the Poetry Out Loud program, visit the national website at www.poetryoutloud.org .