The Daly City Youth Poet Laureate (DCYPL) represents Daly City and its youth, as well as the Daly City Public Library Associates, at public and private events and is an inspiration for our local youth. This representation is in the form of 3-5 public appearances and performances. Additional opportunities to perform will be offered, depending upon the DCYPL’s availability.

During the program term, the Laureate is also required to lead a service project of their choice. This project can be a one-day event or a longer-term project.

Examples of service projects led by past Daly City Youth Poets Laureate:

• 2021-22 DCYPL Madeleine Hur hosted a virtual poetry event, “Spoken Voice for Choice,” with Sara O’Brien, Election Specialist for the County of San Mateo. During the event, youth poets in our community shared their work around the theme of youth participation in our local elections.

• 2022-23 DCYPL Chloe Chou created Cloudy (https://cloudymagazine.com), a youth-led online literary magazine featuring the writing and art from Daly City youth and the rest of the world.

If you’d like, we’re happy to assist you in deciding what service project to lead.

Daly City Youth Poet Laureate (DCYPL) applicants must:

• Be a Daly City or Broadmoor Village resident or attend school in Daly City or Broadmoor Village

• Be between the ages of 13 and 18 as of January 31, 2026

• Be living locally and available to serve as Youth Poet Laureate for the program year: May 2026- May 2027

• Not be enrolled in college full-time during the program year: May 2026 - May 2027

1. A completed application

2. Five original pieces emailed to info@dcpla.org by the application deadline of January 31, 2026

3. The Participant Agreement, signed and dated by both the applicant and a parent/guardian - Complete the Participant Agreement here (coming soon)

4. Proof of attendance in a Daly City school (current School ID or transcript) OR proof of residency in Daly City or Broadmoor Village (ID or utility bill for a parent/guardian you reside with is ok if you don’t have your own ID)

Apply at this online link here. (Application opens in October 2025)

Yes. You cannot complete the application without a Google account.

You can get one here: https://accounts.google.com/SignUp.

In the application, please give us the email address you check most often (but not your school address if you are a JESD student because it will not accept emails from outside organizations). You do not have to use your Gmail address for your contact email.

Applications for the 2026-27 term will be accepted until January 31, 2026 at 11:59pm.

The DCYPL is a position of responsibility to the local community. For this reason, high school seniors who plan to attend college outside the local area during the term for which they are applying are not eligible. We encourage first-year college students to focus on their adjustment to a new school, therefore, students enrolled full-time in college, locally or outside the community, are not eligible to serve as DCYPL.

We will announce the DCYPL at a Commencement Performance at City Hall of Daly City in April 2026, where all finalists will have the opportunity to invite their friends and family to watch them read some of their poetry before the winner is announced.

The DCYPL will receive $2,500 at the end of their term for completing the full year as Youth Poet Laureate. If the DCYPL does not fulfill all of the requirements of the position that are outlined in the Participants Agreement, or is found to be ineligible, the honorarium will not be awarded. The use of this money is up to the discretion of the DCYPL and their family, and will be given in the form of a check written to the DCYPL or a family member, or deposited directly into a college savings plan.

The applications will be scored anonymously in the month of February by a panel of judges from throughout the community, using a rubric created by the National Youth Poet Laureate Program by Urban Word. The judges will read the five poems you submit with your application and score them based on their content, craft, and voice. Applicants will also be scored on their demonstrated commitment to civic engagement through participation in volunteer work and community service, as outlined in their application.

The Daly City Youth Poet Laureate will be the poet who scores the highest total of both sections combined, and will be announced at the Commencement Ceremony in April 2026.

We will recruit 5-7 judges, representing a diverse group of community members from literacy, arts, activist, and educational organizations, as well as a member of the Board of Directors of the program host, Daly City Public Library Associates.

Each year we have a panel of 5-7 judges representing a diverse group of experts from literacy, arts, and educational organizations as well as local authors, artists, and activists. In an effort to get a variety of opinions, we will also include one person on each panel who is not, necessarily, a “poetry person,” but wants to be involved.

If you are interested in being a future judge, please email DCPLA Executive Director Victoria Magbilang at info@dcpla.org

Absolutely! Everyone who applies will be invited to enter into a community of young poets and youth advocates and to be mentored by accomplished adult poets from around the county. Opportunities to perform during the term for which they applied will be shared with all applicants. If you’re chosen as one of our finalists, it is an accomplishment that can be listed on college and job applications. We encourage applicants to apply year after year, as long as they remain eligible, as their poetry skills are refined and they have accumulated additional civic engagement accomplishments.

Please email DCPLA Executive Director Victoria Magbilang at info@dcpla.org to request an appearance/performance by the DCYPL. Please do not contact the DCYPL directly.

The current DCYPL must wait at least one year before applying again, but is welcome to apply after that, as long as they remain eligible. If the Daly City Youth Poet Laureate Committee determines that none of the current DCYPL applicants is qualified to hold the position, the most recent former DCYPL may be asked if they’d like to extend their term for a second year.

In an effort to be equitable, we cannot consider applications from family members of current judges or anyone who has significant influence over the contest criteria or outcome, such as members of the Daly City Youth Poet Laureate Committee. If someone in your family plays an active role in this year’s contest, you are not eligible. This “conflict of interest” policy applies only to those partners who are “coordinating, influencing or judging” the year of competition that you would be applying for. If you are unsure if this applies to you, reach out and we'll be glad to talk to you about it.

DCYPL applicants are judged using a rubric created by the National Youth Poet Laureate Program. The rubric weighs equally the applicant’s poetry and civic engagement. If you do not yet have a lot of past civic engagement on your resume, we encourage you to find opportunities to get more involved and to consider applying in future years.

Email info@dcpla.org or call Daly City Public Library Associates Executive Director Victoria Magbilang at (650) 466-8488.