Rules & Format
WOWPS Slam
COMPETITION SCHEDULE & OVERVIEW
The Womxn of the World Poetry Slam consists of several preliminary bouts and a final stage competition that takes place over the course of three days. Poets are to perform original work without the use of props, costumes or musical accompaniment. Poets should remain within the time limit designated for each round. Seventy-two poets are guaranteed to compete in two preliminary bouts each. The twelve poets with the lowest rank will advance to the final stage.
Preliminary Bouts
Thursday
4 minute round
1 minute round
Friday
2 minute round
3 minute round
Final Stage
Saturday
Three Rounds - 3 minute time limit per round
Prizes
The top four poets at finals will earn specific monetary prizes.
All other finalists will earn $125.
1st place $5,000
2nd place $2,500
3rd place $1,000
4th place $500
5th-12th place $125 each
Preliminary Bout Structure
Each poet will compete in two preliminary microbouts assigned via a random draw held publicly. The draw for the prelim order will occur onsite at the start of the bout, with poets drawing a number 1-6 for each round. Poets will be judged by 5 judges. Judges will score each poem from 0.0-10.0 using one decimal place. Poets are not allowed to repeat poems during prelims. Each preliminary round will carry a grace period of 10 seconds. No ties will be broken in prelims. Poets will receive a rank based on their scores in the microbout. So a rank of 1-6 will be given, with the highest score receiving a 1. In the case of a tie, the rank will be shared and the next person will receive an adjusted rank. For example, if there is a tie for 3rd place, the assigned ranks will be: 1,2,3,3,5,6. If there are multiple ties, the adjustments will be the same. If there is a tie for 1st and 2nd highest scores the assigned ranks will be: 1,1,3,3,5,6.
Finals Slam Format
Poets will be admitted to finals based on ranks acquired over the course of preliminaries. The Twelve poets with the overall lowest rank will advance to the final stage. Poets will draw a number 1-12 for each of the 3 rounds. Order will be adjusted as poets are eliminated from the competition. Each round in finals will have a 3-minute time limit with a 20 second grace period. Five pre-selected judges will judge on a scale of 0-10. Round One is elimination and will feature all 12 poets. Round Two is both elimination and cumulative and will feature 8 poets. Round Three is cumulative and features 4 poets.
Round 1
12 Poets
3 minute
Elimination
Round 2
8 Poets
3 minute
Elimination & Cumulative
Round 3
4 Poets
3 minute
Cumulative
Ties will not be broken during Rounds One and Two. In the event of a tie for 1st place, poets will have the option to slam one more poem or split the prize(s). In the event of 3-way tie for first, all 3 prizes will be divided by the number of first place poets. Rules regarding original work and props carry over to finals competition. Poets may repeat one poem from prelims on the final stage, including the tie-breaker.
Rules
Time
Each performance must remain within the allotted time frame designated for each round. There will be a 10-second grace period for each preliminary round. There will be a 20-second grace period for performances on the final stage. Time begins with the poet’s first interaction with the audience. There will be a half point time deduction for every 10 seconds the poet goes over time. See chart before for specific breakdowns.
X:10 and Under: no penalty
x:10:01 through x:20: -0.5
x:20:01 through x:30: -1.0
x:30:01 through x:40: -1.5
x:40:01 through x:50: -2.0
and so on [-0.5 for every 10 seconds over x:10]
Props
No props are allowed. The poet cannot verbally reference an item while pointing to it, picking it up, or holding it. If so, the item is considered a prop. Ex. It is acceptable to read a poem from a phone. However if the phone is referenced while being held, the phone is then considered a prop. An item used in a performance that other poets also have access to (mic stand, stage) will not be considered a prop. Items that are permanently attached to the poet (hair, tattoos, etc.) or items that aid the poet’s ability (glasses, cane, wheelchair) are considered extensions of the poet and will not be considered a prop.
Sampling
Poets must perform original work. No more than 17% of a poet’s performance may consist of another poet’s work. This includes song lyrics. See chart below for specific breakdowns.
1-minute
10 seconds
2-minute
20 seconds
3-minute
30 seconds
4-minute
40 seconds
Costumes
No costume changes are allowed. A costume change is defined as the addition or subtraction of clothing or accessory that deliberately enhances a poet's performance or the audience's understanding of the poem. EX: if the poet wears a camouflage cap to perform a hunting poem and then takes it off to do a poem where the poet doesn’t portray a hunter.
The Draw
A poet arriving later than the bout draw will be assigned the one. If more than one poet arrives late to the bout draw, then they will be assigned the earliest slots based on their arrival time or random draw.
Judges
Five judges will be selected from the audience or will be assigned from our volunteer pool. Judges will judge on a scale of 0-10 using one decimal point. Poets and judges should, in no capacity, be familiar with one another.
Rule Violation & Protest
Bout staff and competing poets are allowed to call a rule violation during a bout. If the bout manager sees fit, they may resolve the issue on site. If a poet does not approve of a final score, they may stage a protest. A poet in protest must be able to point to a specific rule that was violated and should refrain from signing the score sheet until the issue is resolved. The chart below denotes demerits regarding violations.
Props
Subtraction of 2 points from total score
Sampling
Subtraction of 5 points from total score
Costumes
Subtraction of 2 points from total score
Judge Conspiracy
Given lowest rank in both rounds of bout
If you have any questions or concerns regarding rules, please reach out to the tournament director.