Doors open at 6 pm
Broadcast live on POETV
CANADIAN INDIVIDUAL POETRY SLAM
CIPS is a nationally recognized poetry slam. This year, the competition will take place online and in-person , as part of the Verses Festival of Words. 24 poets representing spoken word series and regions across Canada will compete in a head-to-head double knock out tournament, presenting poems that are 1,2,3 or 4 minutes in length. Winners of each head-to-head will be determined by 5 random judges from the in-person and/or online audiences. This judging system aligns with our vision of the Canadian Individual Poetry Slam Champion being chosen by fellow community members – without hierarchy, without prioritizing expertise, cultivating a way of accessing poetry for all.
Poets will be paired up via random draw and compete head-to-head. The first round is 2 minutes long. The second round is 3 minutes long.This will be a double knockout competition. Meaning 24 poets will compete with each other in 12 groups of 2. The second round will be 6 groups of 2, determining the top 6 poets of night 1. Bout two will be held on Thursday and Finals on Friday.