Officially beginning in 2016, the National Youth Poet Laureate is a yearly competition hosted by Urban Word. Unlike the U.S. Poet Laureate who is chosen by the Librarian of Congress, the National Youth Poet Laureate is awarded to the winner of a yearly competition of young poets from across the country.
A finalist must already be selected as a Youth Poet Laureate for their local city of region before being considered for the National title. The competition weighs candidates based on demonstrated skill in the arts, particularly poetry and/or spoken word, strong leadership, their committed to social justice, and how active they are in civic discourse and advocacy.
Image Credit: https://www.youthlaureate.org/youth-poet-laureates/2022-alyssa-gaines
Alyssa Gaines became the 6th National Youth Poet Laureate, she is the first from Indianapolis.
