Congrats to the 2025 Poetry Out Loud Finalists!

Congratulations to the 19 Poetry Out Loud finalists for New York State!  The state finalists represent every region of New York State – from the Adirondacks to Long Island.  We’re pleased to announce the 2025 NY Poetry Out Loud champion and runner up.

2025 NY Poetry Out Loud Champion

Savir Peri, Syosset High School

Runner-up

Christelle Stanley, FDR High School

As the state champion, Savir won a $200 cash prize, $500 for his school to purchase poetry materials, and an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. where he will recite for a chance at a $20,000 grand prize and the title of National Poetry Out Loud champion. Christelle also won a cash prize of $100 and $200 for her school.

Poetry Out Loud is a national high school poetry recitation program with over $50,000 in prizes going to its winners. Through the program, high school students across the country improve their public speaking skills, build confidence, and gain rich exposure to the literary arts. Poetry Out Loud takes place in all 50 states, American Samoa, District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. 

This year, close to 8,000 students in New York State participated in Poetry Out Loud at their schools, with 91 students moving on to regional semifinal competitions throughout the month of February. Semifinal locations included Long Island’s Walt Whitman Birthplace Association, the Hudson Valley Writers Center, the Adirondack Center for Writing, Stony Brook University, and SUNY campuses including SUNY New Paltz, Buffalo State University, Hudson Valley Community College, Onondaga Community College, and the SUNY Global Center.  Students recited poems from a range of classic and contemporary poets.

Teachers & Writers Collaborative congratulates all of the New York State finalists:

Adirondacks/North Country:

• Aubrey Cushman from Little River Community School
• Jeshua Wilkinson, homeschooled

New York City: 

• Victoria Awadallah from St. Francis Preparatory School
• Christelle Stanley from FDR High School

Westchester/Lower Hudson Valley:

• Angela Bediako from White Plains High School
• Lillian Liu from Scarsdale High School

Hudson Valley:

• Yaheli Cruz from Monroe-Woodbury High School
• Ellen Kramer from Cornwall Central High School 

Long Island: 

• Rachel Ezeadichie from Valley Stream North High School
• Savir Peri from Syosset High School
• Isabelle Scherl from Shoreham-Wading River High School
• Lauren Whitley from Syosset Senior High School

Capital District: 

• Jane Kitch-Willis from Schenectady High School 
• Ana Sandu from Saratoga Springs High School

Central New York:

• Paloma Arena from Jamesville-DeWitt High School
• Ella Blair from Cazenovia High School
• Carter Musa from Whitesboro High School

Western New York:

• Allison MacCallum from Jamestown High School
• Jade Wolff from Byron-Bergen Senior High School

About Poetry Out Loud in New York

Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Poetry Foundation that encourages the study of great poetry by offering a dynamic recitation competition for high school students across the country. This program helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about literary history and contemporary life.

In New York, Poetry Out Loud events are coordinated by Teachers & Writers Collaborative in partnership with the New York State Council on the Arts and in collaboration with SUNY campuses and literary organizations, including the Hudson Valley Writers Center, the Hudson Valley Writing Project, the Western New York Writing Project, and the Walt Whitman Birthplace Association. Learn more about Poetry Out Loud in New York at twc.org/poetry-out-loud.