Jake Welton '26 named a 2025 YoungArts winner with distinction in writing poetry

Jake Welton has been named a 2025 YoungArts winner with distinction in writing poetry, the highest honor of the organization.  Out of 11,000 applicants, Jake has been selected as one of the 180 winners with distinction, and one of 7 winners with distinction in writing poetry. He has been recognized for the caliber of his artistic achievement and joins more than 800 of the most accomplished young visual, literary, and performing artists from throughout the country. YoungArts award winners are selected through a highly competitive application, which is reviewed by panels of esteemed, discipline-specific artists in a rigorous adjudication process. 2025 YoungArts award winners join a community of artists who are offered creative and professional development support throughout their careers. A complete list of the 2025 winners, all 15–18 years old or in grades 10–12, is available online at youngarts.org/winners.

“We’re thrilled to award our largest-ever cohort of artists, selected from a record-breaking number of applications this year,” said YoungArts President & CEO Clive Chang. “We hope this recognition provides these young people with the encouragement to keep pursuing their artistry, and the assurance that YoungArts will be there as a source of support and community for the rest of their lives.”

As a winner with distinction, Jake will participate in National YoungArts Week, held January 5-12, 2025, in Miami. During the week, participants have opportunities to share their own work, which is further evaluated for cash awards of up to $10,000; experience interdisciplinary classes and workshops; and receive mentorship from leading artists in their fields. 2025 winners with distinction will have the chance to learn from notable artists such as ballerina Misty Copeland, dance artists Rashaun Mitchell and Silas Reiner, actress Lorna Courtney, multidisciplinary artist Brian Ellison, and National Bestselling Author and Filmmaker Abigail Hing Wen.

All YoungArts award winners have demonstrated exceptional technique, a strong sense of artistry, and an extraordinary commitment to developing their craft. This year, winners were selected from nearly 11,000 applications across 10 artistic disciplines – classical music, dance, design, film, jazz, photography, theater, visual arts, voice and writing. For the duration of his career, Welton is eligible for exclusive creative and professional development support, microgrants and financial awards, and presentation opportunities in collaboration with major venues and cultural partners nationwide; and become part of an intergenerational network of more than 22,000 past award winners.

As a YoungArts award winner, Welton joins a group of accomplished artists such as Daniel Arsham, Jon Batiste, Terence Blanchard, Camille A. Brown, Timothée Chalamet, Viola Davis, Amanda Gorman, Denyce Graves, Judith Hill, Jennifer Koh, Tarell Alvin McCraney, Andrew Rannells, Desmond Richardson, Jean Shin, Hunter Schafer and Shaina Taub.

About YoungArts -

YoungArts—the national foundation for the advancement of artists—was established in 1981 by Lin and Ted Arison to identify exceptional young artists, amplify their potential, and invest in their lifelong creative freedom. YoungArts provides space, funding, mentorship, professional development and community throughout artists’ careers. Entrance into this prestigious organization starts with a highly competitive application for talented artists ages 15–18, or grades 10–12, in the United States that is judged by esteemed discipline-specific panels of artists through a rigorous adjudication process.