The Golden Rule of Poetry Slam
The points are NOT the point. The point is the POETRY!
Basic Poetry Slam Rules
The following rules are the common rules of poetry slam that govern all poems:
NOTE: For those who are interested, a much more detailed breakdown of props/costumes and/or penalty violations is given at the bottom of this page.
Hullabaloo-Specific Slam Rules
No Repeats
Solo Poem Requirements
NOTE: We recognize that being on stage can be terrifying. A poet who experiences extreme anxiety about being on stage or who otherwise requires physical support to be on stage may have a teammate or coach accompanying them on stage, provided that the accompanying support person remains physically neutral on stage and does not engage and does not engage in any way that could be considered to make them a performer.
Group Poems
Slam Code of Honour
Recognizing that the intent of the rules is to guide us towards fair play and align all of our actions and intentions with the Golden Rule, we ask that all poets abide by the Slam Code of Honour. You don’t need to make your poets read this allowed with hands over hearts (or whatever), but it can be more fun and helps reinforce the cult-like nature of slam if you do!
Slam Code of Honour:
As a participant in the slam, I swear:
For the Rules Nerds: More on Props/Costumes & Penalization for Rules Violations
Clarifying props/costumes: Props/costumes can be a bit of a grey area: sometimes a poet may appear to have their performance enhanced by an object or article of clothing related to their poem, even if they are not intending to draw attention to it.
Here are some examples of things that could be interpreted as prop/costume violations:
A simple rule: Chances are, if you have to ask whether or not something might be a prop/costume violation, it’s probably either a violation or uncomfortably close to one.
Key Exceptions: We recognize that there are certain types of clothing or items related to religious faith or communal identity that a poet may choose to write about or mention, and can’t remove before taking the stage. We also recognize there may be certain objects related to ongoing medical conditions/procedures that a poet may choose to write about or mention, and can’t help but bring on stage with them.
In such cases, we respectfully request that a poet do their best to avoid clear and obvious indications that “incorporate” the item into their poem.
For example, a poet with braces can perform a poem about how much they love/hate having braces. We would simply ask that they avoid such choreographed acts as: pointing at their braces; dramatically smiling to display their braces; physically covering their mouth while talking about feeling embarrassed being seen wearing braces, etc.
Penalizing Rules Violations:
Penalties: In the event a penalty violation is identified, the penalty will be determined by the severity of the infraction. Depending on the nature of the infraction, a penalty may be in the form of a partial or total points deduction (typically a minimum deduction of 2 points), up to disqualification of the poet/team.
Determining Rules Violations: An official “bout team” will make rulings on whether or not a violation has occurred. The “bout team” consists of no less than the emcee and the event organizer (or a designated surrogate if they cannot be present), but may include other community members unaffiliated with any teams whose experience and perspective warrants their inclusion (aka. “old heads”).
If a violation is identified, penalties may be retroactively enforced following a slam. A penalty will not be announced on stage during a slam. A member of the “bout team” will directly inform the coach or an equivalent team representative as soon as possible following the slam. If applicable, a member of the “bout team” will then communicate changes to the results of the slam directly to any affected team or teams.
Calling a Violation: A participating poet believes they have identified a violation committed by another poet/team, their coach or a team representative may discreetly bring this to the attention of the emcee and/or event organizer offstage after the poem or competition in which the violation occurred. A violation so-identified must be brought to the attention of the emcee/event organizer no later than 15 minutes after the slam has ended. A participating poet or team representative must NOT disrupt the show to publicly call out the violation from the audience. If a violation is confirmed, the poet/team who called the violation will not be identified.
Challenging a Penalty: A penalized team may request a review of the ruling by the emcee/event organizer, but the results of any review must be accepted as final.
Time Penalties Exception: A time penalty can NOT be challenged. The only source of information used to determine whether or not a time penalty has occurred is the time recorded by an official timekeeper, the emcee or the event organizer.
REMEMBER: We don’t want to penalize anyone. We’re pretty tolerant of grey area violations, especially at Hullabaloo. Penalties exist both to ensure everyone feels they have had as fair a shot as possible at success, but also to curb competitive impulses that may cause poets to act in contradiction to the Golden Rule.