The National Student Poets Program (NSPP) is the country’s highest honor for youth poets presenting original work. Five outstanding high school poets whose work exhibits exceptional creativity, dedication to craft, and promise are selected annually for a year of service as national poetry ambassadors.

National Student Poets are chosen from among the regional Gold Key winners in the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards with input from a jury of established poets and leaders in education and the arts. Throughout their year of service, the Poets will serve as literary ambassadors and will share 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.

Let’s meet the class of 2026!

Nidhi Bathla is a senior from San Antonio, Texas, attending Keystone School. She is a three-time Scholastic Art & Writing Awards National Medalist and has been recognized by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers more than twenty times. As the child of two Indian immigrants, Nidhi hopes to explore her cultural background through her work, as well as how vulnerability and emotion are portrayed in young people in an ever-changing world. She gravitates toward writing that transforms ordinary experiences, and some of her favorite poets include Maggie Smith, Tove Ditlevsen, and Chen Chen. Nidhi has received accolades from the Juniper Institute for Young Writers, the Sewanee Young Writers Conference, the Kenyon Review, American High School Poets, and the National Council of Teachers of English. She is the Co-founder and Director of Content and Development of the nonprofit organization Girls for Books, which aims to increase the access, passion, and interest in reading in children and teens and empower girls in a world that teaches them to focus on their outward appearance rather than their internal intelligence. Outside of writing, Nidhi also enjoys working for her school newspaper, The Keystone Keynote, as Editor-in-Chief, and is always on the hunt for a good vanilla latte.

Christopher Chen, a senior at the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science, is originally from New Albany, Mississippi. He’s been drawn to poetry from a young age, inspired by his lived experience as a child of immigrants. To him, poetry is an articulation of emotions and crises in a way he was never taught how to name. His work has been recognized by the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, and he serves as an Assistant Editor for his school’s award-winning literary magazine. When Christopher pulls up to a coffee shop with his home-whisked matcha, he writes simply for his enjoyment, for his heritage, for his complicated relationship with the South, and—most importantly—for his Ma. Otherwise, he can be found hiking through the ‘Sip, cooking meals for his family, or thinking about his next piece.

Mya Johnson was born and raised in Danbury, Connecticut, where she is currently a senior at Danbury High School. She serves as president of the National English Honor Society, the Literary Society, and the Poetry Club. In addition to her leadership roles, Mya has helped to plan her school’s annual slam poetry competition, Wordfest, where she earned second place as a sophomore and first place as a junior. A two-time Gold Key recipient of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, her work explores identity, girlhood, and the intersection between race and cultural heritage as a Mexican and African American writer. She is a strong advocate for freedom of expression and uses poetry as both a personal and political medium. Mya frequently performs her work at local Youth NAACP events, open mic nights, and slam poetry competitions; where her writing examines power, voice, and the complexities of lived experience. In her free time, she enjoys singing, baking, and spending time with her community.

Caliel Mosley is a senior from Northwest Indiana currently attending the Indiana Connections Academy, though he is originally from South Chicago. He has been an avid poet for years, originally composing short works for his own poetry anthology, which he has been working on since his freshman year. Caliel attended the 2025 Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshop, where he worked with Chukwuma Ndulue and Sophie Trist. In 2026, he attended the Iowa Young Writers Studio to study poetry with Maya Arthur in her course The Color of Poetry: Poetry Writing with Maya Arthur. Additionally, Caliel has earned two Gold Keys, a juror’s choice award, and an American Voices Nomination from the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. Outside of poetry, Caliel is a very active classical clarinetist. He currently performs with the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra and his chamber group, Windy City Quintet. He was also recently named a fellow of National Public Radio’s From the Top Media and Learning Lab, where he will be featured on a radio show with Peter Dungan after completing a comprehensive curriculum in community engagement and the arts.

Sophie Whitfield is a current junior in the Class of 2028 at Boise High School and is the first National Student Poet from Idaho. She has been recognized by the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards both regionally and nationally, was a recipient of the 2025 Interlochen John Maddy award, and in spring 2026 was a finalist for the Interlochen Arts Academy Virginia Ball scholarship. Sophie has attended the Interlochen Arts Camp for four consecutive years, and in the summers of 2025 and 2026, she was awarded the opportunity to have one-on-one manuscript consultations with poets Fatimah Asghar and Safia Elhillo. She especially loves to write about her dogs, the extraordinary, and the ordinary, and takes inspiration from her time volunteering for the local hospital and youth writing camps. In the past, she has written poems about airports, invasive bugs, and method acting. A longtime poet, Sophie also enjoys exploring the genre of creative nonfiction and is always searching for new ways to mess with form. When Sophie isn’t reading or writing, she is likely blasting riot grrrl in her car, playing the flute, or reading Transformers comics. If you can’t find her, search the record store or your trinket shelf.