Current Standings

After February 2nd, 2026:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NOTE: Poets who have already qualified for Van Slam Finals will not be permitted to compete in the Last Chance Slam on March 2nd.

How Finals Qualification Works

During the “regular season” at Van Slam, every poet signed up for the slam performs in the first round. The four (4) highest-scoring poets qualify to perform again in the second round. All four poets in the second round earn season points towards qualification for the Vancouver Poetry Slam Finals.

Points are assigned as follows:

1st place – 8 points
2nd place – 6 points
3rd place – 4 points
4th place – 2 points

After the March 2026 slam, the eight (8) highest-ranking poets based on cumulative season points are compete in the April 2026 Van Slam Finals, the winner of which qualifies to represent Van Slam at the Canadian Individual Poetry Slam later that month.

Tiebreaks

In the event that two or more poets are tied for the final qualifying spots in Finals, the following tiebreaks will determine which poet gets the spot:

  1. The poet who has competed the most number of times in a year.

    Example: Two poets are tied on 10 points. The first participated in 5 slams during the year; the second participated in 2 slams during the year. The first poet wins the tiebreak on the basis of having participated in more slams.     
  2. The poet who has the highest single rank (or greatest number of highest single ranks).Example: Two poets are tied on 10 points. The first qualified through coming 1st (8 points) and 4th (2 points), whereas the other qualified through coming 2nd (6 points) and 3rd (4 points), the first poet wins the tiebreak on the basis of having come 1st in a slam. 
  3. The poet with the lowest score differential.Example: Two poets remain tied after considering the number of slams and highest single rank. The poet with the lowest differential between their total score(s) and those of the 1st-ranked poet on the nights they competed wins the tiebreak.
  4. Total score.Example: The poet with the highest cumulative score(s) from their competitions will win the tiebreak.