$20,000 Prize Package Up For Grabs At Australia’s National Poetry Slam Finals

For nineteen years, The Australian Poetry Slam has carried the voice, hopes, and stories of poets
across the country. This year, there is a $20,000 prize package on the line, and the National final will
be held at the Sydney Opera House on Sunday 25 October.

The Australian Poetry Slam has been holding competitions since 4 July, with 65 Slams held across 60 towns in six different states.

In This Poetry Slam, The Judges Are… YOU

At the Slams, performing writers are given two minutes to capture the attention of the live audience.
Five people have been randomly selected from the crowd to give the performer a rating between 1-10.
Those with the highest scores move onto the next round.

The best of the lot are to compete at the State and Area finals.

“Give a poet two minutes and a mic and they will tell you more about this country than any press
conference. This is an invitation for audiences to elect a 2026 Australian Poetry Slambassador and let
Poets Run This.” said Miles Merrill, CEO and Creative Director of Word Travels.

Being a part of the audience is not just a passive role anymore, with your voice being the decider in
who wins and be named 2026 Australian Poetry Slambassador, and winner of the $20,000 prize
package that includes performances around Australia, Southeast Asia, and North America.

2025 Slambassador, Arantza Garcia Ferrand is currently on the Ubud program.

The State and Area finals will start in Tasmania on Saturday 19 September, followed by South
Australia (26 September), Sydney (9 October), Victoria (10 October), and Queensland (17 October).
This will culminate at Sydney’s Opera House on 25 October where the 2026 Slambassador will be
decided.

Ubud Poetry Slam Champion, Kismet Krystle, will join the National Final as a special guest.

Tickets for the State and Area finals can be found here.

Tickets for the National final at the Sydney Opera House can be found here.