Young poet receives $20,000 award & $500 for University High School
Indiana Humanities, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Indiana Arts Commission (IAC), announced Tuesday, May 5 that Jayda Dawn, a resident of Fishers and 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 the school’s music and theater program. She has been writing her own poetry since she was 11 years old…