Elliana Sheehan and Jaden Conley at the Poetry Out Loud state finals Photo credit: William Richards
On Monday March 2, the Poetry Out Loud 2026 Illinois State Competition was held at Hoogland Center For The Arts in Springfield. The state competition featured recitations by fourteen students from each of Illinois’s eight regions: Central, Chicago-City, Chicago-Metro, Eastern, Northern, South-central, Southern, and Western. The top five finalists included Chicagoland’s very own Jaden Conely and Elliana Sheehan who were both the runner-up (Sheehan) and winner (Conley) of the Chicagoland Suburban Regionals back in February. This was their second time competing at the state competition.
After three rounds of riveting recitations from student competitors, Jaden Conley from Niles West High School (Skokie) emerged as the 2026 Illinois Poetry Out Loud state champion. Conley captivated the audience and judges with his phenomenal recitations of “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes; “Chicago” by Carl Sandburg; and “Enigma” by Leonora Speyer. Conely, will now advance to Washington D.C., where he will compete in the Nationals competition this April.
Congrats to Elliana Sheehan from Wheaton-Warrenville South High School from Wheaton, IL who earned second place in the competition.
2026 marks the 21st anniversary of Poetry Out Loud and America’s 250th Anniversary. This year’s poem selections reflected America’s rich and diverse history. More than 2,900 students and nearly 120 teachers from 31 high schools in Illinois took part in this year’s Poetry Out Loud program.
2026 Illinois Poetry Out Loud regional winners and their high schools:
- Revolution Chaput – Chester, Chester
- Lana Cooper – University of Illinois Laboratory, Urbana
- Jillian Garcia – Eisenhower, Decatur (finalist)
- Feben Gates – Eureka, Eureka (finalist)
- Mikiah Gerrity – Jefferson, Rockford
- Aminah Givens – Rockford East, Rockford (finalist)
- Rebekah Kreighbaum – Freeburg Community, Freeburg
- Yarely Lopez – Walter Payton College Prep, Chicago
- Sam Miller – Eureka, Eureka
- Ace O’Malley – Southeast, Springfield
- Julia Sohn – University of Illinois Laboratory, Urbana
- Victoria Syverson – University of Chicago Laboratory, Chicago
The Illinois Poetry Out Loud program is a collaboration between the Illinois Arts Council and six regional arts agencies. The 2026 state competition was coordinated by Susan Dickson, Illinois Arts Council Program Director, and Sheila Walk, Arts Education Coordinator of the Springfield Area Arts Council.
Special guests were Illinois Poet Laureate Mark Turcotte and Greg McCormick, director of the Illinois State Library. Mark Turcotte graced the audience with a performance of his poetry, as well as poems written and inspired by prior Illinois Poet Laureates such as Gwendolyn Brooks and Angela Jackson.
Recitation judges included Adam Flores (professor of theater in Carlinville), Antonio Foli (writer and performer from Chicago), Jenna Goldsmith (former city poet laureate of Rockford), and Corey Van Landingham (poet and associate professor in Urbana-Champaign), with Thèa Chesley (poet from Springfield) serving as the accuracy judge, Carey Smith as prompter, and Bob Jessup as Scorekeeper.
Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts, working in partnership with state arts agencies nationwide. The initiative fosters an appreciation for classic and contemporary poetry through analysis, memorization, performance, and competition while building both performance skills and self-confidence. Students from all 50 states, Washington, D.C.; the U.S. Virgin Islands; Guam; American Samoa; and Puerto Rico participate annually. To learn more about the Poetry Out Loud program, visit the national website at www.poetryoutloud.org.
This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency
