Nitya Wahi Named 2025-2026 Edison Youth Poet Laureate
Alexander Poon and Srinidhi Drakshapelli
Both Named Edison Youth Poet Ambassadors
by the Edison Youth Poet Laureate Program
[Edison, New Jersey] – On May 1, the six finalists of the 2025 Edison Youth Poet Laureate (YPL) Contest performed at its Award Ceremony held at Muse Academy in Edison. Nitya Wahi, the First Place Winner, won the title of the 2025-2026 Edison Youth Poet Laureate; Alexander Poon (the Second Place Runner-up) and Srinidhi Drakshapelli (the Third Place Runner-up) both won the title of the 2025-2026 Edison Youth Poet Ambassador. Nitya Wahi will have the opportunity to advance to the Regional and National Youth Poet Laureate Competition in this fall. Both the Youth Poet Laureate and two Runners-up will enjoy the privilege of participating in the 2025 Institute of Poetry and Praxis, a six-month online program offered by the National Youth Poet Laureate Program.
This year, the judging of the Edison YPL Contest was completed by two esteemed judges who were both practice poets and professors from Rutgers University: Alison Powell (Associate Teaching Professor of Creative Writing) and Joanna Fuhrman (Assistant Teaching Professor of Creative Writing). To celebrate this meaningful poetic event, both judges attended the Ceremony to give live comments and encouragement for the poets. In addition, the 2024 Inaugural Edison Youth Poet Laureate Emily Hsu, our last year’s contest winner and a senior at John P. Stevens High School, also attended the Ceremony to perform/read one of her poems. The Ceremony completed successfully, followed by a reception for all the poets and guests to mix and mingle.