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From L to R: Top five students Mia Brillantes, Jason Yang, Iris Zhao, Franklin's Marina Zaki,
and 2026 MA State Champion Nia Cao. Photo by David Marshall
The Huntington Education Department (at Boston's Huntington Theater) has announced the top five students in the Massachusetts chapter of Poetry Out Loud, the national recitation contest run locally by The Huntington with the Mass Cultural Council and nationwide by the National Endowment for the Arts. The 21st annual Massachusetts state finals were held at the Old South Meeting House this past Sunday, March 8, 2026, with twelve student finalists competing, representing high schools from across the state, with five emerging as the top finalists.
Nia Cao, a Junior from Dana Hall School, is the 2026 Poetry Out Loud Massachusetts State Champion and has won $200 and an all expenses paid trip to Washington, D.C. to compete at Nationals in Washington, DC April 27 – 29, 2026. Dana Hall School also will receive a $500 stipend to purchase poetry books for the school’s library. The Nationals will be livestreamed online at arts.gov.
The 2nd place poet is Jason Yang, who is a Junior from Lexington High School.
The 3rd place poet is Franklin's own, Marina Zaki, who is a Freshman at FHS.
Seniors Iris Zhao from Mystic Valley Regional Charter School and Mia Brillantes from The Newman School also placed in the top five in the state as well.
“Congratulations to all 12 of our incredible POL MA State Finalists,” says Huntington Director of Education Meg O’Brien. “Sunday’s event was incredibly strong, and every student brought their strongest and most moving recitations to the Old South Meeting House. Nia, Jason, Marina, Iris, and Mia are an exceptional top five, and we are thrilled to support Nia in DC when she represents the Massachusetts program.”
“Mass Cultural Council is proud of the longstanding tradition of Poetry Out Loud and is grateful for the leadership of our partners at The Huntington's Education Department in making the 2026 contest a success," said Mass Cultural Council Acting Executive Director David T. Slatery. "On behalf of the Agency and our governing Council, I want to congratulate all 12 of the State Finalists and wish our State Champion, Nia Cao, the best of luck as she represents Massachusetts at Nationals this spring.”
In addition to the twelve students’ competitive performances, the state finals also included remarks from Mass Cultural Council Acting Executive Director David T. Slatery, and performances by Boston Youth Poet Laureate and 2024 POL MA champion Ailin Sha, as well as educator and nationally celebrated poet Jamele Adams. KB Bickford emceed the event, and live music was provided by music duo Jean-Michelle.
Poetry Out Loud is a national recitation contest that celebrates the power of the spoken word and a mastery of public speaking skills while cultivating self-confidence and an appreciation of students’ literary heritage as they take poetry from the page to the stage. Regional semi-finals were held on February 7 – 14 in Boston, Cape Cod, Hopkinton, Newburyport, and Springfield. The state finals at Old South Church in Boston on March 8 determined the MA state champion who will go on to compete at the national level in April 27 – 29. Massachusetts State Champions have been top-9 National Finalists in 2008, 2011, 2017, 2018, and 2019.
