Poetry Out Loud Competition

Colorado's Poetry Out Loud Champion, Rize Simmons, Reflects on his National Competition Experience

Not everyday does an 18-year-old high school student get to represent their state on a national stage. After Windsor High School junior Rize Simmons of Weld County secured the title of 2025 Colorado Poetry Out Loud State Champion, he represented the state in the national Poetry Out Loud competition—for

Colorado Teen Rize Simmons Wins State Poetry Out Loud Competition for the Second Year in a Row

Once again, headed to the National Finals to represent Colorado in Washington, DC

DENVER — Gov. Polis, Colorado Creative Industries (CCI), a division of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT), and Empowered are pleased to announce that Rize Simmons of Windsor High School in Weld County

Media Alert: “It’s Words by Heart: Poetry Out Loud 2023” program to air on PBS12 on April 29

The Colorado Creative Industries (CCI), a division of the Colorado Office of Economic Development & International Trade (OEDIT), and Lighthouse Writers Workshop announced today that PBS12 will air a documentary featuring Colorado’s state finals for Poetry Out Loud. This annual event was held on March 1, 2023 at the Lakewood