Indiana student wins Poetry Out Loud national title

Indiana Humanities, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Indiana Arts Commission (IAC), announced today that Jayda Dawn, a junior at University High School in Carmel, is the 2026 Poetry Out Loud® National Champion. Dawn will receive a $20,000 award and $500 for her school to purchase poetry materials.

This is the first year Dawn has competed in Poetry Out Loud. At University High School, she is a part of the student government, vice president of the Black student union, a peer tutor, and a National Honors Society member. Outside of school she is on both the varsity track and cheer team and is a prominent leader in Asante Art Institute’s music and theater program. She has been writing her own poetry since she was 11 years old. Dawn’s teacher, Kirkland Austin, supported her throughout the competition and accompanied her to Washington, D.C., for the finals.

“You don’t get a lot of time to actually live in poetry, and oftentimes it’s discarded as a hobby, but I think with things like this competition, you see that people actually are living in poetry day after day,” said Dawn. “It’s something that you can make a career out of and a life out of, and you can be super successful doing what you love doing.”

A program of the NEA presented locally in partnership with the IAC and administered by Mid Atlantic Arts, Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that encourages the study of great poetry by offering free educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition for high school students across the country. Since the program began in 2005, more than 4.5 million students across the country have participated in Poetry Out Loud.

“It has been a privilege to witness Jayda’s tremendous work pay off,” said Megan Telligman, director of programs at Indiana Humanities. “Her passion for poetry is undeniable, and it’s shown all of us at Indiana Humanities how powerful the study of these works can be for young people. We’re grateful for our partnerships with the Indiana Arts Commission and National Endowment for the Arts for making this opportunity possible for students across the state.”

This is the second time in four years that a student from Indiana has won the national title, with Sreepadaarchana Munjuluri from Columbus North High School winning in 2023. Indiana is one of just three states and jurisdictions to have two national winners.