Student Anna Flood of Crosspoint Academy is one of 13 students from across Washington who will come together this weekend to vie for a place at the 2014 national finals for Poetry Out Loud.

The Washington State Poetry Out Loud Finals take place March 8, at Tacoma’s Broadway Center for the Performing Arts. The contest, sponsored by the Washington State Arts Commission with support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, is part of a national program that encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization and recitation. The winner of the state competition will advance to the national finals in Washington, D.C., on April 29 and 30.

In addition to advancing to the national finals, the Washington State Champion will receive $200 and their school library will receive a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry books. The second place finalist will receive $100, with $200 for the school library. The state finals follow classroom, school-wide and regional competitions held over the past few months. A total of 76 schools in Washington participated this year.