The Vermont Poetry Out Loud Awards for Original Poetry

Poetry Out Loud is a national poetry recitation competition, administered in Vermont by the Vermont Arts Council. In 2020, the Council added an original poetry writing component to our annual Poetry Out Loud activities. In partnership with the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center’s Scholastic Writing Awards, we launched the first annual Vermont Poetry Out Loud Awards for Original Poetry. For the 2021 awards, we began offering teaching artist workshops to support students in the creative process.

2021 Winners

• Samantha Aikman from Mt. Mansfield Union High School for her poem "Undone". Aikman was also a writing award winner in 2020.
• Brooks Balkan from South Burlington High School for his poem "One Night in the Barn"
• Talia Gibbs from Vermont Commons School for her poem "Fun-size"
• Beniamino Nardin from Harwood Union High School for his poem "That Which Darkens"

2020 Winners

• Samantha Aikman from Mt Mansfield Union High School for her poem, "The Way the Flood Rises"
• Aaron Brown from Vermont Academy for his poem, "Freckles"
• Sophie Leggett from Woodstock Union High School for her poem, "Heartstrings (In Short)"