Washington D.C.–Five high school students from across the country have been chosen from among thousands of award-winning poets to serve for a year as National Student Poets, the nation’s highest honor for youth poets presenting original work.

The National Student Poets Program (NSPP) is a partnership of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and the nonprofit Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, which presents the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, the longest-running and most prestigious scholarship and recognition program for the country’s young artists and writers.

Representing five geographical regions of the nation, the 2024 National Student Poets are:

Robert Gao (Midwest), University Laboratory High School, Champaign, IL

Marcus Burns (Northeast), St Johnsbury Academy, St. Johnsbury, Vermont.

Nadia Wright (Southeast), Murrah High School, Jackson, Mississippi.

Sofia Kamal (Southwest), Rancho Solano Preparatory School, Phoenix, AZ.

Anya Melchinger (West), Mid-Pacific Institute in Honolulu, Hawai’i.

The National Student Poets were selected from students in grades 10-11 who collectively submitted more than 30,000 poetry works in the 2024 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards and received top honors in poetry. From the pool of Scholastic Award winners, 40 semi-finalists were identified as the most gifted young poets in their regions, based on their originality, technical skills, and personal voice, and were invited to submit additional poetry and performance videos to distinguished jurors for the final selection of the five National Student Poets.

"We are proud to recognize the Class of 2024 NSPP poets, whose remarkable talent and artistry will shine throughout their year of service, inspiring communities across the nation," said IMLS Acting Director Cyndee Landrum. "We celebrate the collective energy of libraries, museums, schools and communities, working together to create safe harbors where young artists can thrive and flourish."

Throughout the year, the Poets will serve as literary ambassadors, sharing their passion for poetry, literacy, and the literary arts with their communities and throughout their regions. This will be done through activities that include service projects, workshops, and public readings. In addition, each Poet will receive a $5,000 academic award.

All student submissions in consideration for the National Student Poets Program are judged by literary luminaries and leaders in education and the arts based on exceptional creativity, dedication to craft, and promise. This year’s panel of jurors were:

Class of 2024 Jurors

*Denotes a returning juror

• Darius Atefat-Peckham, 2018 National Student Poet for the Midwest.

• Gabrielle Bates, poet and author of “Judas Goat” (Tin House, 2023).

• Darrell Bourque, twice-appointed Poet Laureate of Louisiana.

• Sara Henning, award-winning poet and professor at Marshall University.

• Juan Felipe Herrera*, 21st U.S. Poet Laureate.

• Edward Hirsch*, poet and president of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.

• Brendan Joyce, poet, teacher, essayist, and co-organizer of Grieveland Poetry Press.

• Meg Eden Kuyatt, poet, teacher, and recipient of the 2021 Towson Prize for Literature.

• Nadra Mabrouk, poet and content editor at the Academy of American Poets.

• Billy Merrell, poet, author, and Lambda Literary Award recipient.

Regarding the Class of 2024, Christopher Wisniewski, Executive Director of the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, commented, “The National Student Poets Program is both a celebration of inspiring youth voices and an investment in our country’s future leaders. The Alliance is thrilled to be partnering with the IMLS to recognize and support this exceptional cohort of young poets, as they embark on a year of service within their communities and around the country—using poetry to foster empathy and ignite change.”

The National Student Poets Program has showcased the essential role of writing and the arts in academic and personal success for audiences across the country since its inception in 2011. The 65 National Student Poets have participated in community service projects, visiting more than one hundred cities, performing at more than eighty national poetry events, and mentoring hundreds of future poets. The Poets have traveled to libraries, museums, youth centers, reservations, and hospitals, and worked with military-connected youth, rural youth, and children with disabilities. They have performed their work numerous times at Lincoln Center and the White House, and with actor Bill Murray and Theater of War Productions.

To learn more about the impact and history of the NSPP, watch this short video and visit http://mediaroom.scholastic.com/artandwriting.

The National Student Poets Program—a collaboration of the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers—strives to inspire other young people to achieve excellence in their own creative endeavors and promote the essential role of writing and the arts in academic and personal success. The program links the National Student Poets with audiences and neighborhood resources such as museums and libraries, and other community-anchor institutions and builds upon the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers' long-standing work with educators and creative teens through the prestigious Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. The program also receives additional funding from The Hearthland Foundation and the Academy of American Poets. More information on the NSPP can be found at www.artandwriting.org/NSPP.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation's libraries and museums. We advance, support, and empower America's museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development. IMLS envisions a nation where individuals and communities have access to museums and libraries to learn from and be inspired by the trusted information, ideas, and stories they contain about our diverse natural and cultural heritage. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov and follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn.

The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, a nonprofit organization, identifies teenagers with exceptional artistic and literary talent and brings their remarkable work to a national audience through the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. Founded in 1923, the Awards program is the longest-running, most prestigious initiative of its kind, having fostered the creativity and development of millions of young people through opportunities for recognition, exhibition, publication, and scholarships. During the past six years alone, students have submitted well over a million works of art and writing, and the program has provided more than $30 million in scholarships and awards for top participants. To learn more, visit www.artandwriting.org.