Lainey Fillmore, a senior at Gordon-Rushville High School in Gordon, was named the 2025 Poetry Out Loud Nebraska State Champion. Lainey was one of nine students from high schools across the state who competed for the title on Sunday, March 9, at the Kimmel Theater at Midland University in Fremont. Majie Ahna Winfrey, from Marion High School in Omaha, was named the first runner up and Mieke van der Walt, from Burwell High School in Burwell, was named the second runner up. The event featured special guest presenter, Nebraska State Poet Jewel Rodgers, and Emcee, former Nebraska State Poet Matt Mason.
Lainey will receive $200 and an all-expense paid trip with an adult chaperone to compete for the national championship in Washington D.C. April 30 to May 2. Her school will also receive a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry materials. Majie will receive $100 and a $200 stipend for his school library. The top three students each received original hand-blown glass trophies courtesy of Nebraskans for the Arts. Poetry Out Loud, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and Poetry Foundation, will award a total of $50,000 in scholarships and school stipends at the national competition, including a $20,000 scholarship for the national winner.
