7-market initiative spotlights student ‘poet-athletes’ through soccer, poetry and storytelling during National Poetry Month
National winners to be honored at the Soccer Legacy Gala on May 8 in San Jose
MIRAMAR, Fla. – April 29, 2026 – Telemundo Station Group, part of NBCUniversal Local, and SCORES Network today announced the 14 city winners and two national winners of Atletas Poetas (Poet-Athletes), a national youth poetry celebration that brought together soccer and spoken word ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026™ to spotlight student voices from communities across the country.
Launched in March, the initiative invited students in SCORES programs to write and perform original poems in Spanish or bilingual (Spanish-English), inspired by themes of soccer, unity, and community.
Over the past several weeks, students participated in local performances across participating markets, including Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Boston, Washington, D.C., Miami, and the San Francisco Bay Area, where 14 city winners were ultimately selected to advance to the national stage.
The competition was evaluated by a distinguished panel of judges, including award-winning author and poet Jennifer Maritza McCauley, writer and performer Melania Luisa Marte, and interdisciplinary artist and curator Kenya Bullock.
REGIONAL WINNERS
- New York SCORES — Emiley & Iriel
- Miami SCORES — Keisey & Angel
- Boston SCORES — Miranda & Gustavo
- DC SCORES — Melany & Avery
- America SCORES Chicago — Aaliyah & Jostin
- LA SCORES — Eliza & Mateo
- America SCORES Bay Area — Heyzell & Santiago
From this talented group, two students were selected as national winners:
NATIONAL WINNERS
Santiago — America SCORES Bay Area
Santiago is an 11-year-old Mexican American poet-athlete from Watsonville, California who has been with SCORES for two years and loves soccer, basketball, writing poetry, and spending time with his friends.
Poem Title: De Fútbol
Emiley — New York SCORES
Emiley is a 10-year-old Dominican American poet-athlete from Inwood in Upper Manhattan, New York City, who has been with SCORES for one year and loves making art, drawing, coloring, and doing fun hairstyles with her friends.
Poem Title: Every Second Counts
The national winners will be recognized at the Soccer Legacy Gala on May 8 in San Jose, Calif., as part of the broader celebration leading up to the FIFA World Cup 2026™. The event honors the legacy of the 1994 World Cup and the ongoing work of SCORES to create opportunity for young people through soccer, poetry and service.
“As momentum builds toward the FIFA World Cup 2026™, Atletas Poetas highlights the voices of a new generation shaped by both sport and storytelling,” said José Cancela, President of Telemundo Station Group. “We’re proud to showcase their work and to help elevate voices that reflect the powerful connection between culture, language, and sport.”
“This next phase of Atletas Poetas highlights what SCORES strives to achieve every day, empowering youth to find their voice, build community, and grow as leaders through soccer, poetry, and service,” said Colin Schmidt, National Board Member of SCORES and Executive Director of America SCORES Bay Area. “Our partnership with Telemundo helps amplify that impact, giving these young people the opportunity to share their stories and connect with audiences nationwide.”
Throughout the program, Telemundo-owned stations amplified the voices and stories of participating students across television, streaming, and digital platforms, highlighting the power of storytelling and sport to bring communities together. Participating Telemundo-owned stations are: Telemundo 47 Nueva York / WNJU; Telemundo 52 Los Angeles / KVEA; Telemundo 51 Miami / WSCV; Telemundo 48 Área de la Bahía / KSTS; Telemundo Boston / WNEU; Telemundo Chicago / WSNS; and Telemundo 44 Washington, D.C. / WZDC. Dedicated segments featuring the national winners aired on Telemundo 47 Nueva York and Telemundo 48 Área de la Bahía.
Atletas Poetas builds on SCORES’ long-standing mission to empower youth through soccer, poetry, and service, while reinforcing Telemundo’s commitment to serving and uplifting local communities as excitement builds toward the FIFA World Cup 2026™.
About the SCORES Network
The SCORES Network (SCORES), formerly America SCORES, is an after-school nonprofit launched as a legacy of the 1994 World Cup. SCORES inspires youth to lead healthy lives, be engaged students, and have the confidence and character to make a difference in the world through our award-winning program blending soccer, poetry and student-led service-learning. SCORES serves 15,000+ young people across 13 cities in the U.S. and Canada, reaching students at 300+ Title I schools. Learn more at scoresnetwork.org.
About Telemundo Station Group
Telemundo Station Group, part of NBCUniversal Local, consists of Telemundo-owned stations in 31 markets, including each of the Top 20 U.S. Hispanic TV markets. The stations deliver comprehensive local news, weather, consumer and investigative reporting, and lifestyle entertainment content to Spanish-speaking audiences in the U.S. and Puerto Rico across TV, streaming and digital platforms. The station group also operates TeleXitos, a Spanish-language multicast network; four free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) regional news channels: Noticias Telemundo California, Noticias Telemundo Florida, Noticias Telemundo Noreste and Noticias Telemundo Texas, and the FAST channel Telemundo Puerto Rico.
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MEDIA CONTACTS
SCORES Network
Kimberly Cazares
kcazares@americascores.org
Telemundo Station Group
Rob Lemus
Rob.Lemus@nbcuni.com
