HISTORY
In 2020 and 2021, the championship was a televised event with live judging broadcast and streamed to the public for free. Closed auditions were held via Zoom, where twenty poets were chosen for the semi-final rounds airing in August of both years.
In 2022, all stages of the championship were accessible for public viewing, for free, and was hosted by popular personalities each year. 2023 marked the return of the annual Spoken Word championship to its traditional in-person, pre-covid schedule, with the reintroduction of the popular Wild Card feature of the Slam.
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Over twelve years, the First Citizens National Poetry Slam has seen:
- 1247 poets auditioned (2013-2023)
- 378 semi-finalists (2013-2023)
- 144 finalists (2013-2023)
- 39 winners (1st – 3rd places)
- TT $717,000 distributed in prize money
- 72 Slam events to date
Behind the Poem
A lot of work goes into the making of that triumphant moment on stage in the Grand Slam. “Behind the Poem” is a video series where finalists in the 2019 First Citizens National Poetry Slam explain their final poem. Each poet gives us a glimpse into the themes and ideas that motivated their final piece in the competition and tells us what problems they may have faced during the writing process