We’re looking for young writers, leaders, and change-makers ready to use their voices to shake the system and write the next chapter of our country’s legacy.

Every fall, 10 NYC-based finalists, ages of 15-19, are chosen to step into a 5-week, in-person workshop series– a creative bootcamp to level up your writing, performance, and presence. It all leads to the big stage: a live commencement event where one standout voice will be named the next New York City Youth Poet Laureate.

The title-holder receives professional and creative mentorship, is given access to high-level performance opportunities, and becomes eligible to compete for state and national youth poet laureate titles.

Click below to apply for the 2026 NYC YPL program! The deadline to apply is SEPTEMBER 8.

Hoshiko Hsu is a Taiwanese-American poet from Queens. A senior at The Spence School, she hosts open-mics and publishes issues as editor-in-chief of SCRAWL while captaining mock trial and debate to teach NYC legal policy and foster civic dialogue. Beyond school, she chairs TSTT, a Tzu-Chi program that mobilizes students to provide free English lessons to low-income children in rural areas; her volunteer work has made her a 4x-Gold President’s Volunteer Service Award recipient. An alumna of the Adroit Summer Mentorship, she is a Scholastic Gold/Silver Medalist, a finalist for NYS Youth Poet Laureate and Bennington Young Writers Award, and two-time finalist for NYC Youth Poet Laureate. Her performances have been featured at Federal Hall and the NYPL, and her work is forthcoming/been published by YoungArts, UrbanWordNYC, and The Eunoia Review. Hoshiko’s work spans from racial justice to karmic reincarnation, queerness, and self-temporality. She hopes that her work allows for deeper understanding of self and country, uniting youth in a time of extreme polarization. 


For Booking & Media Requests, email info@urbanwordnyc.org

Past NYC Youth Poet Laureates