of Prince George's County

Youth Poet Laureate Application

Deadline Monday November 28th

Below is the application to become the 2023 Prince George's County Youth Poet Laureate. Take your time when completing this form and if you are under the age of 18, we suggest filling this out with your parents or guardians help. 


All applicants must be between the ages of 13-19 years old and be current residents of Prince George’s County, Maryland. 

Applicants are asked to upload up to Five Original Poems, a Performance Video, and a Bio or a Resume detailing their interests & accomplishments. They should include any community service or volunteer experience, extracurricular/church programming, or awards that they may have.



NOTE:  There is a 10.00 application fee due at the completion of this form. When you finish, just hit the yellow "PAY NOW" button at the bottom of the form which will then direct you to our Pay Pal site. Payment is accepted through Pay Pal accounts OR you may use your credit/debit card. No application will be processed without payment. 



​Along with the prestigious title of Prince George’s County Youth Poet Laureate, the winning poet will:

 

  • PERFORM for the National Library of Congress Youth Poet Laureate Commencement during National Poetry Month


 

  • HAVE THEIR OWN collection of poetry published online​

 

  • BE A FEATURED POET on tour both live and virtually throughout 2023 which includes readings for PG Parks as well as Busboys & Poets


  • Be automatically entered as a contestant in Urban Word’s NATIONAL Youth Poet Laureate Contest

 

  • PARTNER with the Adult Poet Laureate of Prince George’s County, Sistah Joy Alford for special events

 

  • RECEIVE PAID WORK as a contracted performer for various county business & organizations for hire


  • ORGANIZE, IMPLEMENT & ACTIVATE an awareness campaign for whatever social issue they desire



​IN ADDITION: 

The remaining finalists will be appointed Youth Poet Ambassadors for their respective cities and will have the opportunity to share their poetry at various readings, town hall meetings, ribbon cuttings & other official events throughout the DMV along with our Laureate.


THE PGC – YPL Program is a joint venture of Urban Word of NYC and DIALECT of PG County, along with Lyrikal Storm, with additional collaboration by the American Poetry Museum, the PG County African American Museum, ECO City Farms, and the Prince George’s County Social Innovation Fund, with generous support from county residents like you.

​​​​DIALECT USA, LLC  recognizes and celebrates the importance of the spoken, the written and the rhythmic word no matter where it originates. We realize that even though our inflections & use of language may change between age, race, gender and cultural lines, it is the sound of our VOICES that when properly harnessed, can become the most powerful tool known to humanity through shared experiences, affirmations of love, pleas for peace and declarations of being.



DIALECT OF PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY, MD provides artists with the space for expression and the skills for growth as practitioners of the stage arts.  We understand that for many, a simple opportunity is the much needed bridge that can lead to success, and so we provide not only basic training in these areas, but we partner with additional County organizations in creating avenues & windows that will assist in cultivating full-fledged careers in the arts for both youth and for young adults.

You will receive an email receipt and be notified of contest results by December 3rd

AFTER SUBMITTING YOUR APPLICATION,  Return here to pay your processing fee.