Jayda Dawn, a 16‑year‑old from University High School in Carmel, Indiana, captured the 2026 Poetry Out Loud National Championship in a Thursday session in April, taking home a $20,000 prize.
The victory, announced after the final round at the National Convention Center in Washington, marks the first time an Indiana student has claimed the title in the program’s history.
Dawn learned of the competition during a school‑wide assembly when Principal Alicia LaMagdeleine reintroduced Poetry Out Loud to a generation of students who had never heard of the program.
During the national finals, Dawn delivered three poems—Langston Hughes’s “The Negro Speaks of Rivers,” Alice Duer Miller’s “A Life of Dreams,” and Albery Allson Whitman’s “The Sound of the New.”
She described the journey as “exhilarating, shocking, and belonging,” noting that the contest forged friendships that will last beyond the stage.
On May 15, 2026, Dawn will appear before the National Endowment for the Arts’ Youth Poetry Forum to share how the contest shaped her aspirations and to advocate for expanded access to the program.
Her win not only earns her a generous stipend but also positions her as a spokesperson for poetry education across the country.