The Oklahoma City metro is overflowing with amazing kids with beaming smiles, big dreams, bright personalities and kind hearts! This year’s Cover Kids Search was nothing short of inspiring. We were thrilled to meet each and every child who entered and to see the incredible talent, joy and spirit of our next generation of Oklahomans.
After the registration period, our readers and fans showed up in full force, casting their votes for their favorite Cover Kid hopefuls in each age category. From there, our finalists had the chance to shine in front of a panel of local community leaders who were truly impressed by their bright personalities.
A huge thank you to every child who participated and to all the families, friends and readers who voted!
Here are the winners of our 2026 Cover Kids contest:
Palmer
Palmer is the winner of our 2026 Cover Kids Search in the 4-5 age category. She turns 5 years old this November and attends pre-K in Edmond. Dazzling everyone with her pink-loving personality, Palmer loves crafting masterpieces, going on pretend adventures with friends and reading about her favorite wild animals (the bigger and faster, the better — tigers and cheetahs top the list!). She’s a busy bee in and out of school, too — doing gymnastics, t-ball, swimming, piano lessons and even acting classes.
Palmer is the daughter of Megan and Whit and big sister to Quinn. Their family enjoys visiting the OKC Zoo and traveling to experience different cultures.
Janori
Janori is the winner of our 2026 Cover Kids Search in the 6-7 age category. This high-energy 7-year-old attends second grade in the Mid-Del School District and is all in on basketball, the OKC Thunder, YouTuber CoryxKenshin and Sonic the Hedgehog.
When he’s not sinking shots, reading or solving math problems, you might find him powering up with a plate of pizza and steamed broccoli — because this kid knows how to balance flavor and fuel!
Janori is the son of dad Jaren, mom Jillian and bonus dad Michael, II, and middle sibling to Mi’Kylah and Michael, III. The family enjoys dining out at Burger Punk in the Paseo Arts District.
Kyson
Kyson is the winner of our 2026 Cover Kids Search in the 8-9 age category. He is 9 years old and attends third grade in Oklahoma City. An avid fan of fast cars and cool shoes, Kyson loves to swim, draw, craft, build and volunteer. As a member of his YMCA soccer team, his true passion is soccer. His favorite player is Leo Messi.
Kyson is the son of Kendra and the younger brother of Layla. You’ll find Kyson and his family hanging out with his godparents, Derrick and Imani, visiting metro parks (His favorite is Scissortail Park) and attending People’s Church.
Olivia
Olivia is the winner of our 2026 Cover Kid Search in the 11-12 age category. She is 11 years old and in the fifth grade. Whether she’s styling her American Girl dolls, writing her first mystery novel about a clever girl named Abigail or choreographing new dances and cheers with friends, Olivia’s imagination is always hard at work!
She is the daughter of James and Meredith, and the pet mom to Dahlia, a slightly sneaky Giant Schnauzer who has mastered the art of toy theft and door opening. Their family enjoys treasure hunting at estate sales and the Scissortail Farmers’ Market and attending concerts like OKC Phil’s Family Discovery Series.
Peter, Grace & Nehemiah
Peter, Grace & Nehemiah are the winners of our 2026 Cover Kids Search in the sibling category. Peter is 10 years old and in fifth grade. Grace is 7 years old and in first grade. Nehemiah is 4 years old. Big brother Peter has a knack for art and engineering, especially when he’s folding intricate paper airplanes or sketching his favorite Marvel and Godzilla characters. Grace loves playing kitchen, dressing up her dolls and stuffies and twirling around like the ballerinas she admires from the movie Leap!. Little brother Nehemiah is the family’s joyful helper, cooking and cleaning alongside Mom and Dad and giggling during his speech therapy sessions with his teachers, Serena and Shelly.
This trio is the children of Mark and Michelle and together they enjoy singing in the kids’ choir at Beth Haven Baptist Church, assembling LEGOs, playing at Chuck E. Cheese and hanging out at the Parkhurst Pumpkin Patch.
Watch for MetroFamily’s 2027 Cover Kids Search beginning in mid-July 2026.
