About the Sante Fe Youth Poet Laureate Program

The Santa Fe Youth Poet Laureate program partners with the National Youth Poet Laureate program, which was established in 2014 and is an initiative of Urban Word – the largest and most comprehensive youth literary arts organization in the United States. The program celebrates our nation’s top youth poets who are committed to artistic excellence and civic engagement and are using their voices to inspire change.

The Santa Fe Youth Poet Laureate Program won the 2024 Santa Fe Mayor's Arts Award for arts education. Watch the video to find out more.

Applications

The program accepts applications annually during the month of February from students ages 12-19 from throughout Northern New Mexico. The application requires 5 poems and a short bio detailing each student’s civic engagement. Judging is conducted anonymously by 5 judges, and the finalists and winners attend a crowning ceremony in April where the laureate is announced. The winner receives $1,000 from the Foundation and has speaking and reading engagements throughout the year they are laureate (and beyond). The five to six finalists receive $100 each, and also have opportunities to read and speak at local events.

Student Reach

Since inception in 2018, more than 200 students from Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Taos, Navajo Nation, and Ohkay Owingeh have participated in the program. Students have applied to the program from the following schools: New Mexico School for the Arts, Academy of Technology and the Classics, Capital High School, Monte del Sol, Santa Fe High, Santa Fe Prep, Public Academy for Performing Arts, The Master's Program, Mandela International Magnet School, and the Waldorf School. The program has created a cohort of young poets who know each other, support each other, and perform together.