Telemundo, Scores Network partner for youth poetry contest

NBCUniversal Local’s Telemundo Station Group has partnered with Scores Network to launch a national youth poetry celebration as part of its coverage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The initiative, named Atletas Poetas (Poet-Athletes), runs March 16, 2026, through April 13, 2026. Winners for each of the markets Telemundo-owned stations serve will be announced April 15, 2026. 

The initiative aims to elevate student voices “through the power of soccer and spoken word as communities build excitement toward the FIFA World Cup 2026,” according to NBCU’s announcement.

Scores Network, formerly known as America Scores, will handle collecting contributions and other content, securing permissions, and managing city-level judging as part of its existing poetry events. A national panel will be used to select overall winners from the finalists.

It will leverage its existing after-school programming to encourage students to author and perform original poems in spoken word format. The poems will explore “themes of soccer, unity, community and joy.” Poems will be written in Spanish or can be bilingual with Spanish and English elements.

“Our Telemundo-owned stations are deeply rooted in the communities they serve, and we’re proud to partner with the Scores Network to spotlight local young ‘poet-athletes’ and amplify their voices … we’re excited to connect fútbol, cultura and purpose, sharing inspiring stories that bring families together,” said José Cancela, president of Telemundo Station Group, in a statement.

National winners will be recognized at the Soccer Legacy Gala on May 8, 2026, in San Jose, California, an event designed to celebrate the legacy of the 1994 World Cup and the “ongoing work of Score to create opportunity for young people through soccer, poetry and service.”

City-level contents will be in Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, Boston, Washington, D.C., Miami and the San Francisco Bay Area.

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“Scores was born in 1994, inspired by the energy and possibility of the 1994 FIFA World Cup,” said Colin Schmidt, national board member of Scores and executive director of its Bay Area group, in the statement.“Now our poet-athletes will take the stage and inspire fans of all ages with their words and their love of the beautiful game.”

Participating Telemundo-owned include 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.