About the Sante Fe Youth Poet Laureate Program

The Santa Fe Youth Poet Laureate program partners with the National Youth Poet Laureate program, which was established in 2014 and is an initiative of Urban Word – the largest and most comprehensive youth literary arts organization in the United States. The program celebrates our nation’s top youth poets who are committed to artistic excellence and civic engagement and are using their voices to inspire change.

The Santa Fe Youth Poet Laureate Program won the 2024 Santa Fe Mayor's Arts Award for arts education. Watch the video to find out more.

Since inception in 2018, more than 150 students from Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Taos, Navajo Nation, and Ohkay Owingeh have participated in the program. The program has created a cohort of young poets who know each other, support each other, and perform together.

Applications

The program accepts applications annually during the month of February from students ages 12-19 from throughout Northern New Mexico. The application requires 5 poems and a short bio detailing each student’s civic engagement. Judging is conducted anonymously by 5 judges, and the finalists and winners attend a crowning ceremony in April where the laureate is announced. The winner receives $1,000 from the Foundation and has speaking and reading engagements throughout the year they are laureate (and beyond). The five to six finalists receive $100 each, and also have opportunities to read and speak at local events.

Student Reach

Since inception 6 years ago, more than 150 students from Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Taos, Navajo Nation, and Ohkay Owingeh have participated in the program. Students have applied to the program from the following schools: New Mexico School for the Arts, Academy of Technology and the Classics, Capital High School, Monte del Sol, Santa Fe High, Santa Fe Prep, Public Academy for Performing Arts, The Master's Program, Mandela International Magnet School, and the Waldorf School. The program has created a cohort of young poets who know each other, support each other, and perform together.

Introducing the 2024 Santa Fe Youth Poets Laureate

2024 Santa Fe Youth Poet Laureate
Neve Naktin

Neve Naktin is a Santa Fe High School senior whose written works concentrate on the exploration of her surroundings through a creative glossary. With multiple publications in various poetry anthologies, as well as recognitions and speaking engagements including the Santa Fe International Literary Festival, Naktin aspires to create vivid imagery that portrays her femininity, as well as how she experiences home and encompassing landscapes. Her passion for people has inspired an interest in public policy and global healthcare accessibility as she approaches college in the fall.

2024 Santa Fe Youth Poet Laureate
Joycelyn Shroulote

Joycelyn Shroulote is a mixed media artist from the Navajo nation, Hopi tribe and the Ohkay Owingeh pueblo. Her main art forms are, Photography, Poetry, Graffiti, and Murals. She's a youth activist who works with Organizations such as, Tewa Women United, and moving arts española where she advocates and helps amplify youth voices and the needs of her community in española. She has done murals with Three Sisters Collective and Tewa Women United highlighting ancestral home lands and communities. Joyce also owns her own Skate zine called "What’s The Word" focused on Skateboarding and Leadership within the skate, and music scene in northern New Mexico.