Poems & Performance
- Poems can be on any subject and in any style.
- Each poet must perform original work that they have created.
- No props or costumes (poets are allowed to use the environment and the objects it offers - microphones, mic stands, the stage itself, chairs on the stage, a table or bar top, the aisle – as long as these objects are available to other competitors as well).
- Any discrepancies are to be decided by the MC on the night.
- Automatic disqualification for using either props or costumes.
- No musical instruments or pre-recorded music.
The Three-Minute Rule
- No performance should last longer than three minutes.
- The poet is allowed time to adjust the microphone and get settled but as soon as a connection is made with the audience or the poet speaks, the timekeeper will start the clock.
- The performer is allowed a ten second grace period. After ten seconds, 0.5 points are deducted from the poet’s overall score for every part of 10 seconds overtime.
- After four minutes, the host must stop a poet from continuing to perform.
Judging & Scoring
- Five random members of the audience are chosen to judge by the MC/organizer.
- Each of the judges will give each poem a score from 0 to 10, using decimals, with 10 being the highest or “perfect” score. Only ONE decimal point is allowed.
- The judges and the audience should be given an official introduction, which will review the rules, and be instructed to take into account the writing and performance of each poem when judging.
- A sacrificial or calibration poet begins the slam to warm up the judges and audience to scoring.
- The highest and the lowest scores are dropped and the three middle-range scores are added to give a score out of 30.
- The judges cannot intimately know any of the competing poets.
Qualifying Slams
- Order should be drawn randomly for the first round.
- The following rounds may decide to do reverse order from the first, or randomly draw again
- Each individual slam can decide if they want to do cumulative scoring or clean slate in the final round.
- For slams that are smaller and have less than 12 poets, you can still run a two or three round slam. Adjust as necessary for the amount of poets you have.
- If the MC cannot find five judges, 3 judges may be used with ALL of their scores counted (no scores are dropped).
- You cannot host a slam with less than three judges. Four may be used but one score must be dropped (the MC may decide ahead of time if they would like to drop the highest or the lowest score).
NZ Poetry Slam Final
- Competitors must be over 18 years old
- Poets must have a minimum of three poems in order to compete in the Finals: there are three rounds in the NZ National Slam Finals.
- The Top 3 Poets from the previous NZ Poetry Slam Final may not repeat their third round/winning poem in the current NZ Poetry Slam Final.
- Order of poets for each round is drawn randomly.
- There will be 12 poets in the First Round, 6 poets in the Second Round, and 3 poets in the Third Round.
- In case of a tie, a slam-off will be required. Any discrepancies will be settled by the organisers of the NZ Poetry Slam.
Calibration Poet
- A calibration poet, or “sacrifice,” performs as the first poet in the slam to give the judges a chance to “warm up” and practice scoring.
- The calibration poet cannot be one of the competitors in the slam.
Suggested MC Introduction
"Ladies and Gentlemen, this is a Poetry Slam. My name is (state your name) and I will be your host tonight.
A poetry slam is a competitive performance poetry event in which poets perform their own original work and are judged by members of the audience. We have selected 5 random judges from the audience and asked them to score the poems on a scale of 0-10, using decimal points, based on the poet’s content and performance. Judges, zero is a poem that should never have been written. A ten is the greatest poem ever written. We drop the high, drop the low, and get a score out of 30. Poets, you have 3 minutes and 10 seconds to perform. Points will be deducted if you go over time. There will be no props, no costumes, no animal acts, and no musical accompaniment.
Audience, your job is to SWAY THE JUDGES. Let the judges know what you thought of the piece. If you hear something great, what do you do? If you hear something terrible, what do you do? Let the judges know how you felt!
Judges, your job is to not be swayed by the audience. BE CONSISTENT. Remember the point is not the points, the point is the POETRY. Are we ready to start the evening? NO! Blood has not yet been spilled on this stage. We need our sacrificial poet to kick things off. Judges, score this calibration poet as though they were part of the competition and please welcome, _____________."
A poetry slam is a competitive performance poetry event in which poets perform their own original work and are judged by members of the audience. We have selected 5 random judges from the audience and asked them to score the poems on a scale of 0-10, using decimal points, based on the poet’s content and performance. Judges, zero is a poem that should never have been written. A ten is the greatest poem ever written. We drop the high, drop the low, and get a score out of 30. Poets, you have 3 minutes and 10 seconds to perform. Points will be deducted if you go over time. There will be no props, no costumes, no animal acts, and no musical accompaniment.
Audience, your job is to SWAY THE JUDGES. Let the judges know what you thought of the piece. If you hear something great, what do you do? If you hear something terrible, what do you do? Let the judges know how you felt!
Judges, your job is to not be swayed by the audience. BE CONSISTENT. Remember the point is not the points, the point is the POETRY. Are we ready to start the evening? NO! Blood has not yet been spilled on this stage. We need our sacrificial poet to kick things off. Judges, score this calibration poet as though they were part of the competition and please welcome, _____________."