Call for Poets: ArtSpeaks Poetry Competition at ArtsFest
We invite all poets to participate in the ArtSpeaks Poetry Competition at this year’s ArtsFest! This is your chance to share your original work and showcase your voice in a dynamic, supportive environment.
Event Details:
- Date: Sunday, February 9, 2025
- Location: Memorial Park, 300 SE Ocean Blvd., downtown Stuart, FL
In this slam competition, there will be a Student and Adult competition:
- Students (14-18 years old) - Will compete in one bout from 10:30AM-12PM
- Adults – Will compete in elimination rounds - Bout 1: 12:30–2PM and Bout 2 & 3: 2:30–4PM
Rules for the slam:
- Each solo poem must be of the poet’s own creation.
- Memorization is not required or necessary. The poet may choose to bring a sheet of paper or chapbook to the stage to read off of or their phone.
- Each poet gets three minutes (plus a ten-second grace period) to read one poem. If the poet goes over time, points will be deducted from the total score by the scorekeeper. The poem/performance will lose .5 (point 5) off of their score for each 10 seconds they go over.
- The poet may not use props, costumes, pre-recorded/taped music, or musical instruments while performing. It’s just you and your poem on stage. BUT you are allowed to sing or beat box or make any other sounds with your body in your performance. As far as props go…don’t write a poem about your phone and use your phone in your performance, or a poem about hoodies and point to your hoodie etc. as for costumes, you cannot change clothes during your bout.
- The poem may NOT include sexist, racist, homophobic, or transphobic comments. However, anger, upset and frustration are totally legit emotions to express in your poem, just be creative in how you go about doing it. Poems will not be censored, so feel free to say what you please.
- The poet receives scores from 0.0 to 10.0 from five judges - 3 selected prior to the slam and 2 randomly selected from the audience. The high and low scores are dropped and the middle three are added together, giving the poet a total score out of 30.
- In the event of a tie: Ties will not be broken during round 1 and 2. In the event of a tie for 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place, the poets can choose to split the prize money or do another poem to break the tie.
Prizes
- Adult - $700 for 1st place, $300 for 2nd place, and $200 for third place.
- Student - $200 for 1st place, $100 for 2nd place, and $500 for third place.
How to Enter:
- To register, please complete the registration form below by January 1st
- Registration fees - Adults $50, Students $20
