Cedar Valley Youth Poet Laureate | Fall 2025 Workshop

After a successful two years, the North American Review is pleased to continue the Cedar Valley Youth Poet Laureate program! Our second laureate, Daniel Umemezie from Cedar Falls High School, won a scholarship and cash prize at the Commencement Performance in April 2025. Check out the coverage of his winning performance in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier.

Based on the National Youth Poet Laureate Program, we are encouraging local students to participate. The goal is to identify and celebrate exceptional young poets who use their voice to inspire change. We believe that young people are capable of creating important works of art, and deserve a venue to both develop and share these works with the world.

This program is free and offers scholarships to the University of Northern Iowa. Teens aged 13-19 living in one of eight counties that comprise the Cedar Valley (Black Hawk, Bremer, Buchanan, Butler, Chickasaw, Fayette, Grundy, & Tama) are welcome. Additionally, participants may see their work published in the North American Review’s online publication: Open Space.

The 2025-2026 program starts with a writing workshop at UNI on Sunday, October 26, 1pm-4pm in the Lang Hall Interpreter's Theatre. This is a generative workshop, with no critique, where we’ll help foster your creativity and nurture new work. Click the button below to register for the Fall Workshop.

The deadline to register is Wednesday, October 22, 2025 at 11:59pm.

Other 2025-2026 programming will include a spring writing workshop, a submission window to compete for the title of 2026 Cedar Valley Youth Poet Laureate, and a Commencement Program in April, at which a panel of judges will name the winner after the finalists read their work. Watch this space for further details.