AUSTRALIAN POETRY SLAM 2012

This year’s Australian Poetry Slam can boast an irresistible element of fun.

At the final, a judge will be cherrypicked via chocolate: “We’ll throw five chocolates into the audience and whoever catches it is a judge. We want the audience to be involved and engaged,” says founder Miles Merrill.

And as one of the finalists is still in primary school – a seven-year-old songwriter from Dungog – the emphasis is clearly on originality over serious slamming chops.

That said, the Slam can certainly act as a stepping stone in a career of creativity and communication. The winner of the 2008 comp, Omar Musa, has since opened for the late great Gil Scott-Heron and appeared on current affairs show Q&A.

And the $11,000 prize is worth quite a few chocolate bars.

“It’s a fantastic springboard for an up-and-coming word artist,” says Merrill.

Nov 16: NSW Finals & Dec 1: National Finals, Sydney Theatre, 22 Hickson Road, Walsh Bay, $30, sydneytheatre.org.au