Chicago Youth Poet Laureate Ceremony

The National Youth Poet Laureate Competition is an initiative of Urban Word, run in collaboration with literary arts organizations across the country. The Chicago Youth Poet Laureate program, coordinated and championed by YCA, identifies powerful youth poets in the Chicagoland area who have a history of artistic success, community engagement, social justice, and youth leadership.

Join us to hear a powerful lineup of performances that honor the voice, power, and promise of Chicago’s youth and the unveiling of the 2026 Chicago Youth Poet Laureate.

Supported by the Zell Family Foundation & the Poetry Foundation, in partnership with the Chicago Public Library.

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Host or Publisher Young Chicago Authors