2026 Poetry Out Loud Finals

State Finals

On February 19, 2026, the Delaware Division of the Arts presented the 21st Annual Poetry Out Loud State Finals at the Smyrna Opera House, where student reciters from across Delaware gathered for an evening celebrating poetry, performance, and self-expression. Eight finalists competed across two rounds, with five students advancing to a final third round of recitation.

Natalia Gatti, a tenth grader from Sussex Academy of Arts and Sciences, was named Delaware’s 2026 State Champion. A returning Poetry Out Loud participant with a long-standing passion for poetry, Gatti enjoys reading nonfiction and writing, and hopes to one day study astrophysics. She earned the title with recitations of “Militants to Certain Other Women” by Katharine Rolston Fisher, “Let No Charitable Hope” by Elinor Wylie, and “To a Young Dancing Girl” by Elsa Gidlow.

Moments before being named champion, Gatti reflected on the meaning of poetry in her life, saying, “I believe that poetry is freedom. It is freedom of self, of expression, of love — and I believe that my poetry is my dignity. I believe that without poetry, there is no life.” Her words, along with her performances, helped define an evening centered on the power of spoken language and personal voice.

The 2026 State Finals also introduced a new exhibition round, giving students the opportunity to perform a poem of their own choosing or one they had written themselves. The event featured video remarks from Governor Matt Meyer and Secretary of Education Cindy Marten, and welcomed an audience that included elected officials, members of the Delaware State Arts Council, educators, families, and supporters of the arts.

First Runner-Up honors went to Olivia Stevens of Mount Sophia Academy, and Second Runner-Up was awarded to Phy Sullivan of MOT Charter High School. As state champion, Gatti will represent Delaware at the Poetry Out Loud National Finals in Washington, D.C., in April 2026.