Sponsored Content | Presented by OUTRIGGER Kāʻanapali Beach Resort
Hula O Nā Keiki
The Maui competition has brought young hula practitioners together for performance, language and cultural study since 1990.
By Maui Nō Ka ʻOi Staff
Hula O Nā Keiki began at Kāʻanapali Beach Hotel in 1990 as a solo competition for young hula practitioners. Today, OUTRIGGER Kāʻanapali Beach Resort presents the event for dancers ages 6-17.
Contestants perform hula kahiko and hula ʻauana and meet privately with judges to discuss the meaning of their mele and hula. The competition has continued for more than three decades and includes participants from hālau across Hawaiʻi.
In 2026 the competition moves to Keōpūolani Hale at Kamehameha Schools Maui for Oct. 9-10. This year, every participant will perform mele of Maui.
Explore
→ 2026 Event Guide + Tickets – Oct. 9-10 at Kamehameha Schools Maui
→ Results Archive – Verified winners by year
→ Watch 2025 on MELE – Kahiko & ʻAuana nights
→ Watch 2024 on MELE – Kahiko & ʻAuana nights
Buy 2026 tickets through FareHarbor using the ticket button on this page.
Archival 2025 – Elizabeth Kamaile Kahailihauwelo Kekahuna. Courtesy OUTRIGGER / Hula O Nā Keiki.
How Hula O Nā Keiki began
It starts with Kāʻanapali Beach Hotel’s Poʻokela program.
In 2011, Maui Nō Ka ʻOi wrote about Poʻokela, which the hotel launched in 1986 as an employee education program rooted in Hawaiian culture, history and values. Kumu hula Akoni Akana was among the practitioners who helped shape it.
In 1990, Akana and cultural staff member Kanoʻeau Delatori proposed a children’s solo hula competition, judged by respected kumu hula from around Hawaiʻi. Hula O Nā Keiki began that same year.
The competition still pairs performance with cultural knowledge. Dancers perform, then sit with the judges and talk through the meaning of their mele and hula. For more about Hula O Nā Keiki, visit OUTRIGGER’s event page.
Performance and cultural knowledge
Soloists come with their kumu and hālau. They dance hula kahiko and hula ʻauana, then meet the judges in private interviews to talk about the work.
Recent years have honored hula, oli and ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, interviews, costume and adornment, music and kumu preparation. The award list can shift from year to year.
Archival 2025 – Nāmakaʻālohilohi Racadio. Courtesy OUTRIGGER / Hula O Nā Keiki.
Maui in the mele
Maui keeps returning in the mele. The competition has long been framed as a celebration of the songs of Maui, and in 2026 every dancer will perform mele of Maui.
The 2026 event guide has this year’s haumāna, hālau, kumu, judges and tickets. Each year adds another record of the haumāna, hālau, kumu and mele represented at the competition. As the archive grows, those records can live together across generations.
Past winners and later connections
Former winners continue to return in later years, sometimes in new roles. In 2025, the Hawaiian Arts Market included businesses tied to Carrington Yap, the 1994 kāne winner, and Lopaka Logan Naihe, the 1996 kāne winner.
The results archive gives readers one place to follow names, hālau and kumu across the years. Earlier seasons join the list as they are confirmed.
2026 at a glance
When: Friday, Oct. 9 and Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026
Where: Keōpūolani Hale, Kamehameha Schools Maui, Pukalani
Friday: Hula kahiko | Saturday: Hula ʻauana and awards
Livestream: Planned through MELE.com
Open the full 2026 event guide →
Results archive
Winners by year, with overall titles, hālau and kumu from recent competitions.
2026
Participants
Winners
To be posted after the Oct. 9-10 competition
2025
Overall
Elizabeth Kamaile Kahailihauwelo Kekahuna
Hālau
Hālau Keʻalaokamaile
Nā Kumu Hula
Kealiʻi Reichel and Henohea Kāne
2024
Master
Luke Hilinaʻikaʻuhanemaikalani Aquino
Miss
Khandi Pearl Holi
Hālau
Hālau o Ka Hanu Lehua
Kumu Hula
Kamaka Kūkona
2022
Master
Noah Kazuo Piʻimaiwaʻa Andrade
Miss
Lennon Aiko Kuʻualoha Nakada
Hālau
Hālau Hiʻiakaināmakalehua
Nā Kumu Hula
Robert Keʻano Kaʻupu IV and Lono Padilla
2019
Master
Marcus William Kamakanamakamaeokeakua Nichols
Miss
Haily Kamakahukilani Nāwahine Nascimento
Hālau
Hālau Nā Mamo O Puʻuanahulu
Nā Kumu Hula
William Kahakuleihua Sonny Ching and Lopaka Igarta DeVera
2018
Miss
Nadia Kūkahiliokeawepē Nascimento
Hālau
Hālau Nā Mamo O Puʻuanahulu
Nā Kumu Hula
Lōpaka Igarta DeVera and Sonny Ching
2017
Master
Hokani K. Maria
Miss
Brianna Wehileimamoleihiwahiwaonāaliʻiokohala Lim-Ryder
Hālau
Hālau KawehileimamoikawēkiuʻoKohala
Kumu Hula
Lorna Kapualiko Lim
2015
Overall Wahine
Kyleigh Marie Hokuao Manual-Sagon
Overall Kāne
Kaloi Kalalena Lauleneke Combo Montalvo
Hālau
Hālau Kekuaokalāʻauʻalaʻiliahi
Nā Kumu Hula
Iliahi and Haunani Paredes
Source: Kāʻanapali Beach Hotel news (2015)
1996
Kāne
Lopaka Logan Naihe
Source: OUTRIGGER newsroom / Maui Now (1996 Hula O Nā Keiki Kāne Winner)
1994
Kāne
Carrington Yap
Source: OUTRIGGER newsroom / Maui Now (1994 Hula O Nā Keiki Kāne Winner)
Watch past performances
Recent nights live on MELE.com, including on-demand coverage from 2024 and 2025.
→ Hula O Nā Keiki 2025 on MELE
→ Hula O Nā Keiki 2024 on MELE
From the Maui Nō Ka ʻOi archive
Employing Poʻokela – Maui Nō Ka ʻOi, May-June 2011. Our earlier reporting follows the Poʻokela program, Akoni Akana’s role, and how Hula O Nā Keiki got its start in 1990.
FAQ
When did Hula O Nā Keiki begin?
The competition began at Kāʻanapali Beach Hotel in 1990.
Who presents Hula O Nā Keiki today?
OUTRIGGER Kāʻanapali Beach Resort presents the competition.
What ages compete?
The solo competition is for dancers ages 6-17.
Where is the 2026 competition?
Keōpūolani Hale at Kamehameha Schools Maui in Pukalani, Oct. 9-10, 2026.
Where can I watch past performances?
On MELE.com, which carries recent Hula O Nā Keiki nights on demand.
Is the winners archive complete?
Not yet. We keep adding earlier years as we confirm them.
Maui Nō Ka ʻOi may earn a commission when you buy tickets through links on this page.