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Whether you’re cheering on your favourite poet, catching up on what everyone has been talking about, or simply craving a dose of world-class spoken word, this is your chance to experience the Caribbean’s premier poetry championship from wherever you are. Payments can be made easily via PayPal, WiPay (Credit/Debit Card, Mastercard) or bank transfer. One stage. Ten finalists. Countless unforgettable moments. Don’t just hear about it—watch it. 🔥🎤
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The National Poetry Slam marked its 15th year in 2026, continuing its legacy as the premier stage for Spoken Word in the Caribbean. This year’s championship raised the stakes with prizes of TT$25,000 for First Place, TT$15,000 for Second Place, TT$8,000 for Third Place, along with TT$10,500 in finalists’ prizes.
Audiences witnessed an unforgettable Grand Slam showdown as finalists Renaldo Briggs, Colleen Cleghorn, Alicia Psyche Haynes, Rickibah Isaac, Johchele Johnson, Shimiah Lewis, Derron Sandy, Alexandra Stewart, and Seth Sylvester challenged defending 2025 champion Shaquille Warren in a night filled with passion, power, and poetry.
Congratulations to the National Poetry Slam 2026 winners:
🥇 1st Place – Johchele Johnson
🥈 2nd Place – Derron Sandy
🥉 3rd Place – Seth Sylvester
Fifteen years strong, the National Poetry Slam continues to celebrate the voices, stories, and artistry shaping the Caribbean spoken word landscape.
In 2025, the Slam held in-person auditions in Trinidad and in Tobago through a partnership with the National Library and Information System Authority (NALIS). The Grand Slam was held at The National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA). The semi-finals and Grand Slam were broadcast via the Slam’s media partner, TTT.
The championship was a televised event with live judging broadcast and streamed to the public for free in 2020 and 2021. 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.
In 2026, the Slam’s organising committee continues its partnership with the National Library and Information System Authority (NALIS) to host Slam auditions at National Library locations across Trinidad and Tobago.
The Grand Slam (National Poetry Slam Final), was held in the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA) on May 4, before a sold-out audience. It remains the greatly-anticipated, high-energy closing event of the Bocas Lit Fest’s annual literary festival.
Over fourteen years, the First Citizens National Poetry Slam has seen:
1,486 poets auditioned (2013-2026)
456 semi-finalists (2013-2026)
185 finalists (2013-2026)
45 winners (1st – 3rd places) to date
TT $799,000 distributed in prize money to date
91 Slam events to date
