Associated Press - March 4, 2010 4:14 AM ET

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - Illinois hopefuls are gearing up for 1 of the year's biggest poetry-recitation events.

Sixteen regional winners will gather in Springfield on March 18 for the chance to go on to the national contest in Washington, D.C. The finalists were selected from more than 4,500 students at 48 Illinois high schools.

The idea behind the Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest is to inspire students to discover a wide range of poetry. It was created by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation.

State champs receive $200 and the expenses-paid trip to Washington in April. A champion's school also gets $500 to purchase of poetry books. A total of $50,000 in scholarships and stipends will be awarded at the national finals.

On the Net:

Poetry Out Loud: http://www.poetryoutloud.org/

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