14th Hungarian Poetry Slam National Championship - PRELIMINARIES

Application opens: 10th AUGUST 2026, 00:00
Application deadline: 30th AUGUST 2026, 00:00

This year, applications can be submitted through the official website of Slam Poetry Hungary (the application form will become available when the application period begins): https://slampoetry.hu

Rules of the Preliminaries

Depending on the number of applicants, one block of competitors (approximately 24-25 slam poets) will perform each day, starting at 7:00 PM.

As in last year’s championship, the applicants will be assigned to blocks by a draw after the application deadline, also based on the information they shared through the application form.

The lists with the performers of each day will be published after the registration period on the website (slampoetry.hu) and on our Facebook page (Slam Poetry Magyarország). Applicants will also be notified by email with a link to the lists.

There will be NO possibility to change the assigned day or schedule afterward, so we ask all competitors to take this into consideration when completing the relevant section of the application form.

The text performed in the competition must be the competitor’s own original work (previously written or newly written texts both qualify).

The poem performed in the preliminary round may later be used in the second round of the finals at Trafó on October 24. However, the first round of the finals must feature a freshly written piece.

There are no restrictions regarding content or language. According to the genre’s rules, music and props are prohibited. The piece(s) of paper or phone from which the competitor reads their work do(es) not count as a prop.

Like during the SPB Club events, the order of competitors will be drawn from a hat on stage.

The time limit is the usual 3 minutes + 15 seconds.

The timer starts when the competitor clearly gets in contact with the audience or speaks into the microphone for the first time. Since the jury will not be assigning points this time, there will be no deduction for exceeding the time limit.

The end of the time limit will be signaled by music, with the DJ gradually increasing the volume from 3 minutes and 15 seconds onward.

The performances will be evaluated by a four-member professional jury, joined by one member selected from the audience.

Five competitors from each block will advance to the finals: four of them based on the jury’s decision (not determined by scores), and one selected among the competitors receiving the most audience votes. The audience will vote on performers in the jury’s honorable mentions list

Competitors are also encouraged to vote just like the audience during the preliminary rounds! The results will be announced at the end of each night, following a brief evaluative summary by the jury.

This year, as well, the president of the jury may bring another three slam poets to the final based on professional considerations at the end of the preliminaries.

In the finals the competitors who advance from the preliminaries will be joined by Eszter Szvoren, the reigning Hungarian Poetry Slam champion.

The results will also be available on our Facebook page.

Photo and audio recordings will be made during the event. By attending, you consent to their limited use.