SACRAMENTO, CA – Selah Johnson of Los Angeles County is this year’s California Poetry Out Loud state champion. The 17-year-old high-school junior from The Archer School for Girls received first place in the statewide recitation competition held March 16 and 17 in Sacramento. This is Johnson’s second year participating in the state finals competition, receiving an honorable mention in 2024. She will go on to represent the state of California at the Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Contest beginning May 5 in Washington, D.C.
The 2025 California Poetry Out Loud State Finals marked a milestone 20th anniversary for the program, which inspires youth to engage with poetry through memorization and performance. This year, students from 48 counties competed for the prestigious state title, showcasing their talent and passion for the literary arts.
In honor of this landmark anniversary, Senator Ben Allen presented a special resolution on the legislature floor on March 17, recognizing two decades of California Poetry Out Loud’s impact on students across the state. The program’s top three finalists were in attendance to accept the resolution, highlighting the profound influence of poetry in education and self-expression.
A full event program, including a listing of all 2025 county champions, is available here.
Toochi H. Samsylvanus, a 16-year-old sophomore at Norton Science and Language Academy in San Bernardino County, was runner-up and will represent California in the national finals in the event Johnson is unable to attend. Madeline Chiu, a 17-year-old senior from Vintage High School in Napa County, received an honorable mention.
Johnson recited “No, I wasn’t meant to love and be loved” by Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib, “Ode to the Midwest” by Kevin Young and “My Dad Says” by Naomi Ayala. Her English teacher is Kathleen Keelty.
“It’s been an uplifting experience to witness the creative potential of this wonderful group of young people from up and down our state,” said California Arts Council Chair Roxanne Messina Captor. “Events like these are important to at once celebrate the arts and cultivate new artists. Congratulations to this year’s state champion and to all our county champions.”
“It’s thrilling to watch these passionate and brave students come together from across the state to share their voices with each other and with us. I am proud of them and inspired,” said California Poet Laureate, Lee Herrick. “Congratulations to all of the champions, their families, their schools, and their communities.”
Poetry Ourselves
Since 2019, California’s county champions have also been invited to submit original written works at the state level through the Poetry Ourselves creative writing contest. The winning piece for 2025, “Metaphors,” was written by 16-year-old El Dorado High School sophomore and El Dorado County Poetry Out Loud champion Erin Levinson. Levinson was invited to recite her original piece before a live audience during the first day of the state finals on Sunday, March 16.
Anastacia Sharp, an 18-year-old senior at Bret Harte Union High School in Calaveras County, was selected as runner-up with her submission, titled “I Think It’s Time to Cut You Off,” and 16-year-old Anah Khan, a senior at James C. Enochs High School in Stanislaus County, received third place for her poem “Bring It On.”
All three contestants’ poems will be featured on the California Poetry Out Loud website.
Hero Award
The 2025 State Finals also mark the return of the California Poetry Out Loud Hero Award, last offered in 2019. Established by the California Arts Council, the Hero Award acknowledges the remarkable work done in the classroom by the bevy of teachers, coaches, teaching artists and others who bring the California Poetry Out Loud program to life each year.
This year’s Poetry Out Loud Hero Award honors the valiant efforts of Crystal Rienick of San Diego County. Rienick, an English teacher at Valley Center High School, has led Poetry Out Loud at her school for the past 16 years, encouraging the attendance of more than 1,000 students at each year’s competition and incorporating the program into the cultural fabric of the campus.
About Poetry Out Loud
An initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation and administered statewide by the California Arts Council, Poetry Out Loud encourages high school students to learn about poetry through memorization, performance, and competition. Participants gain proficiency in public speaking, build self-confidence, and learn about literary history and contemporary life. California’s Poetry Out Loud is the largest event of its kind in the U.S. and has grown steadily since its inception. The 2025 competition series encompasses 49 counties, 235 schools, and 416 teachers, reaching more than 17,300 students statewide.
The California Poetry Out Loud State Finals is the culminating competition between county winners who have shown their merit in the classroom, school, district, and county (a pyramid competition structure similar to the spelling bee). The state champion receives $200 and a trip to Washington, D.C., to compete in the national Poetry Out Loud finals, paid for by the National Endowment from the Arts. The winner’s school will also receive $500 for library materials. The State Finals runner-up will receive a $100 cash prize, with $200 awarded to their school for book purchases. Competing at the Poetry Out Loud National Finals presents the opportunity for approximately $50,000 in scholarship funds and related winnings.
The California Poetry Out Loud program also incorporates a creative writing component of the competition, Poetry Ourselves, offered for the seventh year in a row. County champions are invited to submit an original written poem of no more than 50 lines, judged anonymously by a guest judge. The winner receives $100; poems by the winner, runner-up, and honorable mention recipients are recognized and featured on the California Poetry Out Loud website.
Participating Counties
Finalists from the following counties competed at the 2025 California Poetry Out Loud State Finals: Alameda, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Contra Costa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Fresno, Humboldt, Imperial, Inyo, Lake, Los Angeles, Madera, Marin, Mariposa, Mendocino, Modoc, Mono, Monterey, Napa, Nevada, Orange, Placer, Plumas, Riverside, Sacramento, San Benito, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Tulare, Tuolumne, Ventura, Yolo, and Yuba.
Media Inquiries Only:
Kimberly Brown
Public Affairs Specialist
kimberly.brown@arts.ca.gov
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The California Arts Council is a state agency with a mission of strengthening arts, culture, and creative expression as the tools to cultivate a better California for all. It supports local arts infrastructure and programming statewide through grants, initiatives, and services. The California Arts Council envisions a California where all people flourish with universal access to and participation in the arts.
Members of the California Arts Council include: Roxanne Messina Captor, Chair; Leah Goodwin, Vice Chair; Gerald Clarke; Caleb Duarte; Vicki Estrada; Roy Hirabayashi; Alex Israel; Dorka Keehn; Phil Mercado; Nicola Miner. Learn more at www.arts.ca.gov.
The California Arts Council is committed to increasing the accessibility of its online content. For language and accessibility assistance, visit https://arts.ca.gov/about/about-us/language-communications-assistance. To read this announcement in Spanish, please use the website’s Google Translate tool by clicking the “Translate” link in the upper righthand corner of this page.
El Consejo de las Artes de California se compromete a aumentar la accesibilidad de sus contenidos en línea. Para obtener ayuda con el idioma y la accesibilidad, visite https://arts.ca.gov/about/about-us/language-communications-assistance. Para leer este anuncio en español, utilice la herramienta Google Translate del sitio web haciendo clic en el enlace “Traducir” situado en la esquina superior derecha de esta página.
