Along with our low stakes, highly supportive poetry open mics, Winnipeg Poetry Slam (WPS) hosts poetry slams where poets compete FOR ALL THE GLORY!!!

Poetry Slams consist of two (2) rounds of 3-minute poems (with a 10-second grace period) with up to twelve (12) participants. Where available, these may also include a 15-20-minute set from a featured poet.

At a “slam,” anyone can sign up to compete and all styles are welcome. All poets must perform original work within the stated time limit without the aid of props, costumes, nudity, animal acts, or musical accompaniment. Violating these rules may result in disqualification, and going past the time limit results in half (0.5) a point deducted for every 10 second overage.

Poetry Slams are judged competitions

Before the show, organizers select five random people or groups of people from the audience who volunteer to give each poet a score between 0.0 and 10.0 using scorecards (it’s like a rap battle crossed with a diving competition…trust us).

After each poem, the host reads the scores aloud, and the audience is encouraged to cheer or boo! based on their own reaction to the poets. The scorekeeper drops the highest and lowest numbers, then adds up the middle three for the poem’s score, out of a potential 30 points.

Every poet signed up for the slam performs in the first round. The six(6) highest-scoring poets qualify to perform again in the second round. Scores in the second round are tallied from scratch using the same method as above. The top 3 poets receive a prize, and all competitors earn season points towards qualification for the Grand Slam Finals.

Points are assigned as follows:

1st place – 12 points

2nd place – 10 points

3rd place – 8 points

4th place – 6 points

5th place – 4 points

6th place – 2 points

Remaining rankings receive 1 point each.

The Winnipeg Poetry Slam Competitive Season

For the 2026 season, qualifying slams take place in April and June, after which the twelve (12) highest-ranking poets based on cumulative season points qualify for the Grand Slam Final in August. The winner, aka The Winnipeg Poetry Slam Grand Slam Champion, earns a spot to represent our community at the annual Canadian Individual Poetry Slam (CIPS) in Vancouver as part of the Verses Festival of Words.‍ ‍

Season Rankings