Cedar Valley Youth Poet Laureate | Spring 2026 Workshops

After a successful two years, the North American Review is pleased to continue the Cedar Valley Youth Poet Laureate program! 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.

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. We are thrilled to announce that Daniel has also been chosen as a 2026 National Youth Poet Laureate Finalist, and he will compete for the national title in Omaha, Nebraska on April 25th. 

Join Daniel and editors from the North American Review for two writing workshops in February. Students can register for either workshop-or both! The generative workshop on February 10th will introduce ekphrastic writing. The workshop on February 24th will focus on writing and performance. Registration is encouraged, but not required.

Other 2025-2026 programming will include 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.