How Is the Poet Laureate Selected?

The term for the Oregon Poet Laureate is 2 years, and the Governor will be appointing the next Oregon Poet Laureate in 2026.  We will announce when the process is open for nominations via press release and through the Oregon Cultural Trust and Oregon Humanities newsletters and social media.

Nomination Process for the Eleventh Oregon Poet Laureate

The Governor requested for the review process to begin and a review committee was formed in 2023. A public call for nominations went out and qualified nominees were invited to apply. The review committee read and discussed each application and arrived at a recommendation, which was carried forward to the Governor’s office by representatives from the Oregon Cultural Trust and Oregon Humanities. The Governor’s office selected the Poet Laureate from the finalists and confirmed the appointment. A public statement was made celebrating the new Oregon Poet Laureate, and they began their two-year term in the role.

How to Nominate a Poet

Anyone can nominate a poet they see as a qualified and good candidate for the role when the nomination period is open. Poets may nominate themselves. 

Application Process

Once nominated, poets meeting the eligibility criteria were invited to submit a full application. 

Review Process

An independent review committee composed of poets, poetry advocates, literature lovers, and cultural leaders reviewed each nomination and considered the merits of each nominee related to the criteria. The review committee discussed the top candidates, created a report to the Oregon Cultural Trust, and made a recommendation regarding the laureate to the Governor. The Governor will appoint the new Poet Laureate within one year of the end of the prior Poet Laureate’s term.

Review Criteria

Oregon’s Poet Laureate must be committed to bringing poetry to a wide range of places and people, have a significant body of publicly accessible work, agree to the period of the appointment, and be prepared to undertake a significant cultural project and the public role required of the laureate. Poets of all genres and styles will be considered.

Nominee Requirements:

  • be current residents of Oregon
  • have lived in Oregon for at least ten years (time spent in out-of-state artist residencies during those ten years are accepted, as long as nominee maintained Oregon as their home state)
  • be publicly recognized as poets and well regarded for excellence in their work
  • have a significant body of published and/or performed work
  • agree to the conditions and the two-year term of appointment

Poet Laureate Compensation

The Poet Laureate will receive an honorarium of $15,000 per year during the term of service. Each term is two years. In addition, the planned activities and travel for the Poet Laureate will be supported through an annual travel subsidy of up to $10,000. The Poet Laureate will participate in a minimum of ten public readings/events in urban and rural settings across the state. These funds are managed and administered by Oregon Humanities.

Questions? Contact Lucy Solares-Steger, program coordinator, at l.solares@oregonhumanities.org.