THE HUNTINGTON ANNOUNCES 2026 POETRY OUT LOUD MA STATE CHAMPION
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Gabrielle Jaques, Associate Director of Publicity
617-273-1520
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THE HUNTINGTON ANNOUNCES 2026 POETRY OUT LOUD MA STATE CHAMPION
Dana Hall School Junior Nia Cao has been named the 2026 MA Poetry Out Loud State Champion after competing in the POL state finals at Boston’s Old South Church last weekend.
(BOSTON) – The Huntington Education Department announces the top five students in the Massachusetts chapter of Poetry Out Loud, the national recitation contest run locally by The Huntington with the Mass Cultural Council and nationwide by the National Endowment for the Arts. The 21st annual Massachusetts state finals were held at the Old South Meeting House this past Sunday, March 8, 2026, with twelve student finalists competing, representing high schools from across the state, with five emerging as the top finalists.
Nia Cao, a Junior from Dana Hall School, is the 2026 Poetry Out Loud Massachusetts State Champion and has won $200 and an all expenses paid trip to Washington, D.C. to compete at Nationals in Washington, DC April 27 – 29, 2026. Dana Hall School also will receive a $500 stipend to purchase poetry books for the school’s library. The Nationals will be livestreamed online at arts.gov.
The 2nd place poet is Jason Yang, who is a Junior from Lexington High School. The 3rd place poet is Marina Zaki, who is a Freshman from Franklin High School. Seniors Iris Zhao from Mystic Valley Regional Charter School and Mia Brillantes from The Newman School also placed in the top five in the state as well.
“Congratulations to all 12 of our incredible POL MA State Finalists,” says Huntington Director of Education Meg O’Brien. “Sunday’s event was incredibly strong, and every student brought their strongest and most moving recitations to the Old South Meeting House. Nia, Jason, Marina, Iris, and Mia are an exceptional top five, and we are thrilled to support Nia in DC when she represents the Massachusetts program.”
“Mass Cultural Council is proud of the longstanding tradition of Poetry Out Loud and is grateful for the leadership of our partners at The Huntington’s Education Department in making the 2026 contest a success,” said Mass Cultural Council Acting Executive Director David T. Slatery. “On behalf of the Agency and our governing Council, I want to congratulate all 12 of the State Finalists and wish our State Champion, Nia Cao, the best of luck as she represents Massachusetts at Nationals this spring.”
In addition to the twelve students’ competitive performances, the state finals also included remarks from Mass Cultural Council Acting Executive Director David T. Slatery, and performances by Boston Youth Poet Laureate and 2024 POL MA champion Ailin Sha, as well as educator and nationally celebrated poet Jamele Adams. KB Bickford emceed the event, and live music was provided by music duo Jean-Michelle.
ABOUT POETRY OUT LOUD
Poetry Out Loud is a national recitation contest that celebrates the power of the spoken word and a mastery of public speaking skills while cultivating self-confidence and an appreciation of students’ literary heritage as they take poetry from the page to the stage. Poetry Out Loud has inspired hundreds of thousands of high school students to discover and appreciate both classic and contemporary poetry. Several students who have come up through The Huntington’s education program have gone on to rank in the top nine students in the national competition. Poetry Out Loud is in all 50 states as well as America Samoa, Guam, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
“Poetry Out Loud helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about their literary heritage,” says the National Endowment for the Arts. “By encouraging students to study, memorize, and perform some of the most influential and timeless poems of the English language, you immerse them in powerful expression and provocative ideas.”
Regional semi-finals were held on February 7 – 14 in Boston, Cape Cod, Hopkinton, Newburyport, and Springfield. The state finals at Old South Church in Boston on March 8 determined the MA state champion who will go on to compete at the national level in April 27 – 29. Massachusetts State Champions have been top-9 National Finalists in 2008, 2011, 2017, 2018, and 2019.
ABOUT THE HUNTINGTON
Celebrating over 40 years of outstanding theatre, The Huntington is Boston’s leading professional theatre company. On our stages and throughout our city, we share enduring and untold stories that spark the imagination of audiences and artists and amplify the wide range of voices in our community.
Under the leadership of Norma Jean Calderwood Artistic Director Loretta Greco and Executive Director Christopher Mannelli, The Huntington is committed to welcoming broad and diverse audiences, provides life-changing opportunities for students through its robust education and community programs, is a national leader in the development of playwrights and new plays, has acted as the host organization for a multi-year residency of The Front Porch Arts Collective, a Black theatre company based in Boston, and serves the local arts community through our operation of The Huntington Calderwood/BCA.
The Huntington reopened the historic Huntington Theatre in fall of 2022 after its transformational renovation, and is currently in phase two of the project; the renovation and building project of this storied venue with a bold vision for the future will allow us to innovatively expand our services to audiences, artists, and the community for generations to come. For more information, visit huntingtontheatre.org.
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