2025 Poetry Out Loud State Finals Reveals Winner

Honolulu Theatre for Youth and the Hawai’i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts have revealed the winner of the 2025 Poetry Out Loud Hawai’i Final.

Congratulations go to Koaliʻi Keawe-Asuega, a 10th grader at Kamehameha Schools - Kapālama, who took 1st place in this year's competition and earned the title of Hawai’i State Champion. Shiloh Flores, an 11th grader at Hanalani Schools was the runner-up and Kendall Haddock, a 10th grader at Kaʻū High & Pāhala Elementary School, placed third.

Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, this poetry recitation competition for high school students is a partnership of the National Endowment for the Arts and Poetry Foundation designed to improve public speaking skills, build confidence, and teach about literary history and contemporary life.

This year, 12 high school students representing Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Maui, and Hawaiʻi Island participated in the state finals, which took place at Tenney Theatre on Sunday, February 23, 2025. The event was hosted by Ben Gutierrez and guest judges included Laurel Nakanishi, Dr. Maya Soetoro-Ng, Mark Branner, and Walter Eccles.

"I look forward to broadening my horizons. I’ve never ventured beyond the lovely tropics of Hawaiʻi, nor explored the mainland or any other continents," said Keawe-Asuega. "This will be the first time I’ll see a world with cold temperatures while being able to participate in something I enjoy."

Poetry Out Loud starts in the classroom/school or at the local level with an area organization. Winners advance to a regional and/or state competition, and ultimately to the national finals. At the Hawaiʻi Final, competitors recited works they memorized from an anthology of more than 1,200 classic and contemporary poems. Since the program began in 2005, more than 4.4 million students and 81,000 teachers from 20,000 schools across the country have participated in Poetry Out Loud.

Keawe-Asuega will receive $200, and Kamehameha Schools - Kapālama will receive a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry materials. As the runner-up, Flores will receive $100, with $200 for Hanalani Schools.

Keawe-Asuega will advance to the Poetry Out Loud National Finals in Washington, DC this May. All 55 state and jurisdictional champions will compete in the national semifinals on Tuesday, May 6, from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET, with the top nine students advancing to the finals on Wednesday, May 7, from 7:00 to 9:15 p.m. ET. Both days are free and open to the public and will be available through a one-time-only webcast at arts.gov. In total, $50,000 in awards and school/organization stipends, including a $20,000 cash award for the Poetry Out Loud National Champion, will be presented at the National Finals. The Poetry Foundation provides and administers all aspects of the monetary prizes awarded and travel arrangements to the Poetry Out Loud National Finals.