The National Youth Poet Laureate Program identifies powerful youth poets that have a history of artistic success, civic and community engagement, social impact, and youth leadership. Over 70 partner cities are participating in our national network of youth poet laureates and have the opportunity to submit to the National Youth Poet Laureate competition.

The National Youth Poet Laureate competition is an initiative of Urban Word, in collaboration with local youth literary arts organizations across the country; and championed by the leading national literary and arts organizations, including the Academy of American Poets, the Poetry Foundation, the Library of Congress, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Parks Service, and many more.

The National Youth Poet Laureate submissions are open October 21-November 30, 2024. There will be four Youth Poet Laureate Regional winners chosen, one from each of the 4 regions in the nation, selected by a national panel of judges. These Regional winners are the National finalists for the National Youth Poet Laureate title. All submissions will be judged using the same rubric, and candidates with the highest numbers ranked will be chosen to represent that region. Each network member organization is allowed to submit as many former local Youth Poets Laureates that fit into the qualifying age group of ages 13-19.

The candidate must have held the Youth Poet Laureate title through an official National Youth Poet Laureate program partner in their city, county, or state to apply.

Genre(s): Poetry, Spoken Word

Location(s): Washington, DC

Submissions Open: October 21

Submissions Close: November 30

Submission Fee: free

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