Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowships is a fellowship from the Academy of American Poets that funds poets of literary merit appointed to serve in civic roles, including state, municipal, or tribal nation poet laureates. Each $50,000 award supports the creation of new work and enables meaningful community projects that enrich the lives of neighbors, particularly youth, through responsive and interactive poetry activities.

The program prioritizes projects with strong concepts, geographic reach, and demonstrated community support. Applications for the 2026 cycle were accepted via Submittable from January 16 through March 24, 2026. Recipients are selected by a panel of award-winning poets and leaders in poetry and civic engagement.

Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowships | Academy of American Poets Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowships Applications for the 2026 Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowships are accepted via Submittable from January 16th, 2026 until March 24th, 2026 .

The Academy of American Poets has a long history of championing the role of poet laureate, including by being a resource listing local poets laureate and providing information to communities interested in creating new poets laureate positions . In 2019, we expanded on this work, and our prizes and fellowships for poets , by launching the Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowships.

These $50,000 awards are given to honor poets of literary merit appointed to serve in civic positions and to support them in creating new work, as well as to enable them to undertake meaningful, impactful, and innovative projects that enrich the lives of their neighbors, including youth, through responsive and interactive poetry activities.

In addition to the other eligibility and application criteria, the concept, scope, components, depth, geographic reach, and community support of the proposed project will be considered by a panel of award-winning poets and leaders in poetry and civic engagement.

The panelists who will recommend the recipients of the 2026 Poet Laureate Fellowships are award-winning author and 2024 Michigan Poet Laureate Fellow, Nandi Comer; Civic Poet of Seattle (2023–24) and visual artist Shin Yu Pai; 2024 Wallace Stevens Award winner and Chancellor Emerita Naomi Shihab Nye; Senior Program Officer at the Institute of Museum and Library Services Dennis Nangle; and, 2021–22 Los Angeles Poet Laureate and Cave Canem Board Chair Lynne Thompson.

Final award decisions are finalized and approved by members of the Academy’s Board of Directors Poet Laureate of El Segundo, CA Poet Laureate of Santa Fe, NM Poet Laureate Fellow of Durango, CO Poet Laureate of Nebraska Poet Laureate of Virginia Poet Laureate of Lansing, MI Poet Laureate of Rhode Island Poet Laureate of West Hollywood, CA Poet Laureate of Seattle, WA Poet Laureate of Madison, WI Poet Laureate of Glendale, CA Poet Laureate of Dallas, TX Poet Laureate of Santa Cruz County, CA Poet Laureate of Birmingham, AL Poets Laureate of Altadena, CA Lester Graves Lennon , Sehba Sarwar Poet Laureate of New Hampshire Poet Laureate of Detroit, MI Poet Laureate of Miami-Dade County, FL Poet Laureate of Hattiesburg, MS Poet Laureate of Caddo Parish, LA Poet Laureate of Auburn, WA Poet Laureate of Minneapolis, MN Poet Laureate of Fresno, CA Poet Laureate of Rochester, MN Poet Laureate of Onondaga County, NY Poet Laureate of Mobile, AL Poet Laureate of Louisiana Poet Laureate of Colorado Poet Laureate of San Francisco, CA Poet Laureate of Chicago, IL Poet Laureate of Michigan Idaho Writer-in-Residence Poet Laureate of Hot Springs, AK Poet Laureate of Washington State Poet Laureate of Redmond, WA Poet Laureate of El Cerrito, CA Poet Laureate of Key West, FL Poet Laureate of Ogden, UT Poet Laureate of Scottsdale, AZ Poet Laureate of St.

Petersburg, FL Poet Laureate of Sullivan County, NY Poet Laureate of Seattle, WA Poet Laureate of San Diego, CA Poet Laureate of Columbia, SC Poet Laureate of Greenville, SC Poet Laureate of Saratoga Springs, NY Poet Laureate of Oak Ridge, TN Poet Laureate of New Mexico Poet Laureate of Charlotte, NC Poet Laureate of Redmond, WA Poet Laureate of Dallas, TX Poet Laureate of Worcester, MA Poet Laureate of Santa Cruz County, CA Poet Laureate of Wisconsin Poets Laureate of Altadena, CA Peter J.

Harris , Carla Rachel Sameth Poet Laureate of Takoma Park, MD Poet Laureate of Cincinnati, OH Poet Laureate of Portsmouth, NH Poet Laureate of Kentucky Poet Laureate of Minnesota Poet Laureate of Santa Barbara, CA Poet Laureate of Los Angeles, CA Poet Laureate of Washington Poet Laureate of Mississippi Poet Laureate of Cleveland Heights, OH Poet Laureate of Philadelphia, PA Poet Laureate of Nebraska Poet Laureate of Davis, CA Poet Laureate of Edgefield, SC Poet Laureate of Arlington, VA Poet Laureate of Alexandria, VA Poet Laureate of Westchester County, NY Poet Laureate of Urbana, IL Poet Laureate of Sacramento, CA Poet Laureate of Houston, TX Poet Laureate of Milwaukee, WI and Wisconsin state Poet Laureate of Illinois Poet Laureate of Virginia Poet Laureate of Elgin, IL Poet Laureate of West Hollywood, CA Poet Laureate of Lake County, CA Poet Laureate of Upper Peninsula, MI Poet Laureate of Springfield, MA Poet Laureate of Somerville, MA Poet Laureate of Houston, TX Leslie Contreras Schwartz Poet Laureate of San Antonio, TX Poet Laureate of San Mateo County, CA Poet Laureate of Richmond, VA Poet Laureate of Flint, MI Poet Laureate of Philadelphia, PA Poet Laureate of Charleston, SC Poet Laureate of Colorado Poet Laureate of Aurora, CO Poet Laureate of Murfreesboro, TN Poet Laureate of the Navajo Nation Poet Laureate of Louisiana Poet Laureate of Santa Clara County, CA Poet Laureate of New Hampshire Poet Laureate of Boston, MA Poet Laureate of Queens, NY Poet Laureate of Auburn, WA Poet Laureate of Santa Fe, NM Poet Laureate of McAllen, TX Poet Laureate of Connecticut Poet Laureate of Rock Hill, SC Poet Laureate of Mississippi Poet Laureate of Phoenix, AZ Twin Poets Laureate of Delaware Nnamdi O.

Chukwuocha , Al Mills Poet Laureate of Brooklyn, NY Poet Laureate of Rhode Island Poet Laureate of Cuyahoga County, OH Poet Laureate of Tucson, Arizona Poet Laureate of Maryland Poet Laureate of Nevada County, CA Poet Laureate of North Carolina Poet Laureate of Town of Carrboro, NC Poet Laureate of Los Angeles, California Poet Laureate of Washington State Poet Laureate of Columbia, South Carolina Poet Laureate of Oklahoma Poet Laureate of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Roque Raquel Salas Rivera Poet Laureate of San Francisco, California Academy of American Poets Newsletter Academy of American Poets Educator Newsletter