Sixteen high school students from across Montana competed in the 2025 Montana Poetry Out Loud State Finals at Grandstreet Theatre in Helena on March 8th. Whitefish senior Jake Dunker emerged as the state champion after reciting poems from memory with accuracy, interpretation, and style. Dunker, an active member of the Whitefish community, will represent Montana in the National Poetry Out Loud Finals in Washington D.C. in early May, with a chance to win a $20,000 prize.
Runner-up Eva Murray, a sophomore from Anaconda Jr/Sr High School, impressed with her recitations and hopes to enroll at the University of Montana in Missoula after graduation. Third-place finisher Megan Donnelly from Butte, Montana has a passion for performing and has participated in various speech and debate competitions.
The competition was judged by a panel of distinguished individuals, including former Montana Poet Laureate Mark Gibbons. Poetry Out Loud, celebrating its 20th year, is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, administered by state arts agencies like the Montana Arts Council. The National Finals will be broadcast in May via the National Endowment for the Arts website.
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