Beza Getahun of Sacramento County also recognized as Poetry Ourselves winner for original student work “Alchemy”
March 16, 2026- SACRAMENTO, CA – Lillian Braly of Marin County is this year’s California Poetry Out Loud state champion. A high-school junior from Marin School of the Arts at Novato High School, the 17-year-old received first place in the statewide recitation competition held March 8 and 9 in Sacramento. Braly will go on to represent the state of California at the Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Contest taking place April 27-29 in Washington, D.C.
The 2026 State Finals marked the 21st year of California Poetry Out Loud, which encourages youth to learn about poetry through memorization and performance. Students representing 48 counties competed for the state title. An event program, including a listing of all the 2026 county champions is available here…