PLYMOUTH, Ind. (AP) – A northern Indiana girl has become the first person to score three straight wins in the state's decade-old poetry recitation contest.

The Indiana Arts Commission said Wednesday that Plymouth High School senior Emma Libersky won this year's state finals in the Poetry Out Loud competition.

She's now the first person to win that contest three straight times, following wins in 2013 and last year.

Emma will receive a $200 cash prize and an all-expenses paid trip to Washington, D.C. to compete in the Poetry Out Loud National Finals in early May. Her school also gets a $500 stipend to purchase poetry books.

The poetry recitation contest encourages youth to learn about great poetry through memorization and performance. It's sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation.