SLAM RULES
COMPETITION FORMAT
• The Ignite Your Mic for Life competition is a two-step poetry competition consisting of written submissions followed by a participant selection for a teen poetry slam. Participants must be enrolled in a middle or high school in Florida and be in the 7th through 12th grade.
• Submissions are defined as one poem related to a specific theme. Each submission will be evaluated by a panel of judges to determine participants of the poetry slam on Saturday, November 9, 2024, 6 pm to 9 pm, in Fort Lauderdale. Finalists-Participants need to arrive by 5pm.
• There will be a total of ten (10) finalists. Poets will be notified if they have been
selected via email and by Friday, October 18, 2024. ALL poets MUST be physically present to participate. If a poet is unable to compete, the next qualifying poet will be selected.
• There will be two (2) rounds that will occur in a pre-determined order. Poets draw for position upon check-in.
• Poets must prepare at least one “Donate Life – Organ, eye, and tissue donation”
themed poem that is a minimum of 90 seconds and is up to three minutes in length to perform in the first round. Poets must submit the “Donate Life: Organ, eye, and tissue donation” themed poem through online portal by October 10, 2024 , to be considered for participation. The top 5 scores from the first round will advance to the 2nd and final round. Please do not share your entry poem or the entry poem video prior to a winner being selected on November 9, 2024.
• For the 2nd and final round, Poets may perform an original poem of their choosing. The poem must be a minimum of 90 seconds and up to three minutes in length to perform in the second round.
• The order for the second round will be determined by a random draw at the
conclusion of the first round, led by the bout manager.
SCORING
• A mixed panel of five community members judge each bout. Judges should not
be affiliated in any way with the individuals competing. Should a participating poet be affiliated with a judge, they should reveal this to the bout manager immediately.
• Each poem is judged on a scale of 0.0 to 10.0 (to one decimal place) by each of
the five judges.
• For each poem, the highest score and the lowest score are dropped and the
median (three middle) scores are totaled. Due to this, the highest point total any
poem can receive is 30.0. For example:
• In the event of a tie, dropped scores will be reintroduced.
• The highest combined scores of the first and second round (cumulative scoring) will win top prize of $1000 – 2nd place $500 – 3rd place $250. The youngest finalist will win an additional $100.
SLAM RULES
• Participants must perform poems of their ORIGINAL writing. Plagiarized poems, poems pulling directly from the work of others (including songs) without citation or referenced sources will result in the performer’s DISQUALIFICATION and a score of 0.0 for that round. Quoting other works and literary allusion or inspiration is typically permitted, however language directly taken from other sources should be verbally cited. Any questions regarding this rule should be referred to the bout manager in advance or to the bout manager on the day of the bout. Plagiarism that is caught after the bout can still result in disqualification for the poet and that poem’s score in the bout changed to a 0.0 retroactively.
• Participants are not allowed to use any AI platform, such as Chat GPT,
Google AI, H20, or any other similar technology, to generate their poems. If it is discovered that a participant has used AI to generate their poem, they will be
disqualified from the competition. In such cases, the next standing poet will be
declared the winner. This rule ensures that the competition remains fair and
encourages participants to showcase their own creativity and writing skills.
• NO PROFANITY ALLOWED. If a poet uses a word other than “damn” or “hell”, that is cause for disqualification of that poem. That poem would receive a score of ZERO (0) and the poet will be asked to leave the stage.
• Content matter may not exceed a rating of PG-13 (avoid excessive violence,
sexually explicit content, and/or language that degrades any group of people). No RACIST, XENOPHOBIC, HOMOPHOBIC, or GENDER DEGRADING language will be tolerated. Violations will result in a 1.0-point deduction for each infraction. If violations are extreme, the poet(s) will be asked to leave the stage and the poem will receive a score of ZERO (0).
• The time limit for poems is three minutes. A 10-second grace period will be
provided immediately after which scores will be penalized starting at the
3:10.01 point (a .5 deduction for every ten seconds over 3:10). Poets will be asked the leave the stage at 4:00.
• CLOCK BEGINS AFTER INTRODUCTION. Poets should be strongly encouraged to announce their NAME and SCHOOL prior to the start of each poem. The timekeeper begins the stopwatch with THE FIRST SOUND AFTER THE NAME and SCHOOL. Should the poet choose to say or express anything following announcing their name and/or school but prior to the first line of their poem, timing will begin.
• NO AUDIBLE TIME CUES. If a teacher or audience member affiliated with the poet verbally announces the amount of time elapsed or time remaining to a poet, that performing poet receives a five (5) point deduction from their final score. For example, if the poem receives a score of 27.8, the penalty will reduce the score to 22.8.
• Memorization of poems is strongly encouraged. This is one of the principles of
spoken word poetry and makes for a better performance; nevertheless, READINGA POEM FROM A SHEET OF PAPER OR NOTEBOOK IS PERMITTED. HOWEVER, READING FROM AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE IS PROHIBITED. All judges are made aware of this, but ultimately, judging for a poetry slam is very subjective and a judge may score more harshly when scoring a non-memorized performance.
• Props, costumes, and/or musical accompaniment are prohibited. Violations of this rule will result in a five (5) point penalty per infraction. Poets may, however, sing, stomp, clap, snap, beatbox, etc. so long as all noises are created by the interaction between the poet’s body, the stage and/or the microphone. We recommend using the “A Pen, A Page, A Mic, A Stage” philosophy.
• For the purpose of this rule, a prop is defined as any object or article of clothing
introduced demonstratively into a performance with the effect of enhancing,
illustrating, underscoring, or otherwise augmenting the words of the poem. A
person’s body (hair, limbs, etc.) is not a prop.
• For the purpose of this rule, a costume is defined as any piece of clothing or
accessory that is worn on the stage which is not part of the poet’s regular attire but is worn to enhance performance. A clear indication of costume would be something that a poet changes into after arriving at the bout specifically for the poem, or something they change into or out of between performances on stage. Removing outerwear (jacket, hat, sweater, etc.) will not be considered when determining costuming.
• Poets must remain on stage during their performance. Violation of this rule will result in a one (1) point penalty.
• Microphones and microphone stands may be moved for amplification purposes. Any utilization of mics or mic stands beyond the need for amplification may result in a prop violation. Poets are encouraged to alert the host or bout manager if they plan to move a microphone or mic stand.
• Please RESPECT THE MIC so that the judges and audience can hear each poet’s entire poem.
