Yuba County Poetry Out Loud winners are recognized following the county competition Jan. 31 at the Sutter Theater Center for the Arts. From left are second-place finisher Tyler Blankenship, third-place winner Lisette Perez and first-place champion Isaiah LaMarca, all of Marysville Charter Academy for the Arts. Photo courtesy Yuba Sutter Arts & Culture

MARYSVILLE, CA (MPG) - High school students from Yuba and Sutter counties were named county champions Saturday, Jan. 31, during the 2026 Poetry Out Loud competitions held at the Sutter Theater Center for the Arts.

The annual recitation contest, hosted by Yuba Sutter Arts & Culture, drew student finalists from schools across both counties. Winners were selected based on performance criteria that included voice and articulation, physical presence, dramatic appropriateness, accuracy and overall understanding of the poem.

In Sutter County, Angeleek Viola of River Valley High School placed first, followed by Efrain Ibarra Maldonado of River Valley High School in second and Sissy Lutrell of Sutter Union High School in third. Viola recited “Dirge Without Music” by Edna St. Vincent Millay.

In Yuba County, Isaiah LaMarca of Marysville Charter Academy for the Arts earned first place. Taylor Blankenship and Lisette Perez, also of Marysville Charter Academy for the Arts, placed second and third. LaMarca performed “Trees” by Joyce Kilmer.

Sutter County Poetry Out Loud winners pose following the county competition Jan. 31 at the Sutter Theater Center for the Arts. From left are first-place winner Angeleek Viola of River Valley High School, second-place finisher Efrain Ibarra Maldonado of River Valley High School and third-place winner Sissy Lutrell of Sutter Union High School. Photo courtesy Yuba Sutter Arts & Culture

All finalists received cash prizes. The two county champions will also receive travel stipends to attend the California Poetry Out Loud state finals, scheduled for March 8 and 9 in Sacramento.

Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that encourages students to study classic and contemporary poetry through memorization and performance. Students select works from an online anthology of nearly 1,000 poems.

The program was launched in 2005 by the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Poetry Foundation and has grown to serve more than 3 million students nationwide.

Winners at the state level advance to the national competition in Washington, D.C., scheduled for April 27 through 29.

For more information about Poetry Out Loud or other programs, contact Yuba Sutter Arts & Culture at 530-742-ARTS.