Jayda Dawn, then an 11th grader at University High School of Indiana in Carmel, was named the 2026 Poetry Out Loud National Champion in April and won a $20,000 grand prize. She recited poems by Langston Hughes, Alice Duer Miller, and Albery Allson Whitman. Months after the national finals, Dawn spoke with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) about her experience and what the competition meant to her. She described the journey as “exhilarating, shocking, and belonging” and reflected on the friendships she made with fellow young poets and how poetry has remained an important part of her life.
Indiana high school student ‘s first Poetry Out Loud journey reaches the national stage
This was Dawn’s first year competing in Poetry Out Loud, and she had only recently heard about the programme. She learned about the opportunity through University High School of Indiana, where head of school Alicia LaMagdeleine was reintroducing Poetry Out Loud.Dawn was immediately interested because opportunities to take part in something so specific within poetry are uncommon. Her journey eventually took her to the national finals, where she recited poems by Langston Hughes, Alice Duer Miller, and Albery Allson Whitman. She was then named the 2026 Poetry Out Loud National Champion and received a $20,000 grand prize.
PC: James Kegley/ National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)
Connecting with young poets from across the country
For Dawn, Poetry Out Loud became about more than reaching the national finals. She described the experience in three words: “exhilarating, shocking, and belonging”. Before reaching Nationals, she did not know what to expect or who she would meet. That changed at the first-night meet and greet, where she found herself surrounded by young artists who shared her interest in poetry.Dawn said she did not feel like she stood out. Instead, she felt she had found a place among people who understood her passion for poetry. Meeting state and jurisdictional champions from across the country also gave her the chance to form new friendships.
Why has poetry remained important to Jayda Dawn
Poetry was already a part of Dawn’s life long before she entered Poetry Out Loud. Dawn grew up hearing her father’s poetry, so poetry was a familiar part of Dawn’s childhood. She described it as a sacred form of art and said winning the competition after growing up around her father’s poetry felt like a special full-circle moment.The competition also deepened her own relationship with poetry as she spent time memorising and living with the poems she selected. Dawn said, “Being able to live with these words is such a wonderful opportunity that not everyone is fortunate enough to have”.She believes poetry will remain part of her life forever. To her, poetry is everywhere, including in music and rap, and wherever she goes, it will follow her.
What did Jayda Dawn learn from Poetry Out Loud
Dawn’s advice for students considering Poetry Out Loud is not to enter only with the goal of winning. She said the experience can still be meaningful even for students who do not advance beyond the school or state level.She said students can have many great experiences along the way. Dawn also encouraged students to recognise the value of spending time with poetry and living with the words they choose.The programme also created opportunities beyond the competition. She said the fellow champions she met became lifelong friends and that she remains grateful for the opportunities that came after Poetry Out Loud.
