Emerald Coast Writers is seeking the region’s first Youth Poet Laureate, inviting teens ages 13-19 to showcase their poetry and community engagement.

The program is open to residents of Escambia (Florida and Alabama), Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Fort Walton, Bay, Baldwin and Mobile counties. Applicants should have a passion for reading and performing poetry and a desire to give back to their communities.

Applications open in late March and close April 10. Participants must submit five poems along with a resume highlighting civic service and community involvement. Finalists will compete at the regional level, with the potential to apply for the National Youth Poet Laureate program.

Emerald Coast Writers will host a virtual workshop on March 10 at 7:30 p.m. to help applicants build poetry portfolios and resumes. Northwest Florida Poet Laureate Asia Sampson will attend to share his work and offer guidance. Registration is required, and a recording will be available for those unable to attend live.

The program’s commencement ceremony will take place Sunday, May 3, at 5 p.m. at the Pensacola Museum of Art.

Emerald Coast Writers, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in downtown Pensacola, was founded in 1986 as the West Florida Literary Federation. The all-volunteer organization now has more than 100 members and works to preserve the area’s literary heritage through contests, workshops and community events.

For more information and updates on the Youth Poet Laureate program, visit www.emeraldcoastwritersinc.org/. Details on the National Youth Poet Laureate program are available at www.youthlaureate.org/.