This week’s 2022 PbS Kids Got Talent Contest Finalist Spotlight is a spoken poem titled “Destiny” from Central Oklahoma Juvenile Center. Delivered with confidence and poise, without added dramatic flair that would have detracted from the spare prose, the words conveyed a message that lingered long after this talented young writer delivered the final line.nOr perhaps it was the final line that summed up the impactful presentation: “As I come to a close, I want you all to remember that we’re all like a flame stuck inside a cage, put out in the midday and relit in the winter phase.”nWe want to thank this talented finalist for sharing his words with us and for encouraging us to think deeply and ask questions. One impressed Talent Contest Selection Committee member remarked about the young writer, “The space you’ve created here for your audience to analyze the ideas of fate and destiny are wonderful. Great artists make you think and question—you did just that!”nWatch the video here.n nThe annual PbS Kids Got Talent Contest invites all young people in Performance-based Standards (PbS) facilities and programs across the country to submit their talents for a chance to show off their skills. This year, we received 55 entries from 63 young people in 8 states and 22 different facilities. After careful consideration, 12 finalist performances were selected and shared with the Kids Got Talent Selection Committee. nEach of the 12 performances will be featured in the 2022 PbS Kids Got Talent Contest Finalist Spotlight blog over the coming weeks as our committee determines a solo winner and a group winner. The winners will be selected based on creativity, stage presence and talent. The winning soloist will perform live at the PbS Awards Night in August.
