# Individual World Poetry Slam

The Individual World Poetry Slam (iWPS) is a yearly poetry slam tournament put on by Poetry Slam, Inc. that pits individual slam poets from around the world against one another.

## History

From 1990 to 2007, the National Poetry Slam held an "individual" poetry competition (known as "indies") simultaneously with the team competition, with the poets earning the highest ranking individual poems during the first two days of competition moving on the semifinal and final rounds. The first ever winner of this event was Patricia Smith, who would go on to win the Individual National Poetry Slam Championship title four times, a record she shares with Ed Mabrey.
Starting in 2004, Poetry Slam Inc (PSI) decided to host a separate event called the Individual World Poetry Slam (iWPS), in which solo poets (not teams of poets) competed for the championship title. The first iWPS was held in Greenville, SC under the direction of Kimberly J. Simms and the first iWPS champion was Buddy Wakefield.
Because of the popularity of iWPS and to avoid the confusion of two "individual" poetry slam titles being awarded ever year, Poetry Slam Inc. decided to cancel the "indie" competition at the National Poetry Slam.
In 2016, the competition was held in Flagstaff, Arizona. In 2017, it was held in Spokane, WA and in 2018-2019 it was held in San Diego, CA. When PSI dissolved, the name was taken by the Dallas Poetry Slam who planned to organize the event in 2020. After being derailed for years by the pandemic, iWPS is rumored to return in 2023 under new leadership.

## Format

The tournament has two days of preliminary rounds, in which poets compete in 1, 2, 3, and 4 minute bouts. After these 4 bouts are completed, the poet's rankings in each bout are added up and the top 12 poets of the tournament are invited to compete in the final round. A 3 minute time limit is applied to the poems in the final round.

## Tournament results by year

| Year | Winner | Runners Up | Number of Competitors | Host City |
| 2019 | Jay Ward, Akeem Olaj, Breeze (Tie) | (4) Meccamorphosis (5) Anita D (6) TIE - Xach Blunt & RJ Wright (8) TIE - Yaw Kyeremateng & Doctor TJ (10) Hakeem Furious (11) Cocoa Flo (12) TIE - Kimberly Arrington & Bluz (14) Jael Benjamin | 74 | San Diego, CA |
| 2018 | Mic Ting | (2) Natasha Hooper (3) Koi aka Coy (4) David G (5) Wayne Henry (6) Jay Ward (7) Yaw Kyeremateng (8) Curtis Davis (9) Melania Luisa (10) TIE - Shasparay Lighteard & Breeze (12) Rio Chanae (13) Ryan J | 84 | San Diego, CA |
| 2017 | Arvind Nandakumar | (2) Anthony McPherson (3) Kenneth Something (4) Rudy Francisco (5) Kofi Dadzie (6) RJ Walker (7) Damien McClendon (8) Asia Bryant-Wilkerson (9) Christopher Michael (10) Steven Willis (11) Yaw Kyeremateng (12) Michael Harriot (13) Jahman Hill (14) Ed Mabrey | 90 | Spokane, WA |
| 2016 | Ed Mabrey | (2) Rage Almighty (3) Patrick Roche (4) Joaquin Zihuatanejo (5) Ebo Barton (6) Akeem Olaj (7) Johnny Osi (8) FreeQuency (9) Jozer (10) TIE - Toaster & Ashlee Haze (12) Emtithal Mahmoud (13) Christopher Michael (14) Steven Willis | 96 | Flagstaff, AZ |
| 2015 | Emtithal Mahmoud | (2) Rasheed Copeland (3) TIE - FreeQuency & Christopher Michael (5) TIE - Rudy Francisco & Imani Cezanne (7) TIE - Porsha O & Javon Johnson (9) TIE- Crystal Valentine & TaneshaNicole (10) Steven Willis (11) Paul Tran (12) D.E.E.P. | 96 | Washington, DC |
| 2014 | Porsha O | (2) Danez Smith (3) Desireé Dallagiacomo (4) Hanif Abdurraqib (5) Will Evans (6) TIE - Damien Flores & Hieu Nguyen (8) Ed Mabrey (9) Joaquin Zihuatanejo (10) Twain (11) Imani Cezanne (12) Leo Bryant | 72 | Phoenix, AZ |
| 2013 | Ed Mabrey & Chancelier "Xero" Skidmore (Tie) | (3) Aaron Samuels (4) Jozer (5) Rudy Francisco (6) Dominique Ashaheed (7) Carrie Rudzinski (8) Joaquin Zihuatanejo (9) TIE - Outspoken Bean & Denice Frohman (11) Doc Luben (12) Antwaun "Twain" Davis | 70 | Spokane, WA |
| 2012 | Ed Mabrey | (2) Thuli Zuma (3) Melissa May (4) Seth Walker (5) Clint Smith (6) 6 is 9 (7) Franny Choi (8) Brian "Omni" Dillon (9) TIE - Lauren Zuniga & George "G" Yamazawa, Jr. (11) Cameron Awkward-Rich (12) Lisa Slater | 67 | Fayetteville, AR |
| 2011 | Chris August | (2) Jesse Parent (3) Kait Rokowski (4) TIE - Tatyana Brown & Brian "Omni" Dillon (6) Danez Smith (7) Alvin Lau (8) Ed Mabrey (9) Michael Lee (10) TIE - Suzi Q Smith & Joanna Hoffman (12) Storm Thomas (13) Robyn Bateman *There were 13 finalists instead of 12 due to a tie at the 12th qualifying rank | 78 | Cleveland, OH |
| 2010 | Rudy Francisco | (2) Jesse Parent (3) Chancelier "Xero" Skidmore (4) C. P. Maze (5) George "G" Yamazawa, Jr. (6) Thomas "Tre G" Gilbert (7) Tara Hardy (8) Alvin Lau (9) Gary Johnson (10) Zak "Kane" Corsi (11) Sasha Langford (12) Houston Hughes | 72 | Charlotte, NC |
| 2009 | Amy Everhart | (2) Iyeoka Ivie Okoawo (3) Rudy Francisco (4) 6 is 9 (5) Theo Wilson (6) The Original Woman (7) Tara Hardy (8) Ed Mabrey (9) Sierra DeMulder (10) Kim Johnson (11) William Evans (12) Alvin Lau | 96 | Berkeley, CA |
| 2008 | Joaquin Zihuatanejo | (2) Jason McBeth (3) 6 is 9 (4) Buddy Wakefield (5) Joshua Bennet (6) Andrew Tyree (7) Lizz Straight (8) Tara Hardy (9) Colin Gilbert (10) Bobby LeFebre (11) Queen Sheba (12) The Original Woman | 70 | Charlotte, NC |
| 2007 | Ed Mabrey | (2) Anis Mojgani (3) Andrea Gibson (4) Jamie DeWolf (5) Dan Leaman (6) Sonya Renee (7) Jared Paul (8) Ryler Dustin (9) Nicole Homer (10) Buddy Wakefield (11) J. W. "Baz" Basilo (12) Da'shade Moonbeam | 72 | Vancouver, BC |
| 2006 | Mighty Mike McGee | (2) Joaquin Zihuatenejo (3) Andrea Gibson (4) Jared Paul (5) Da Minista (6) Versiz (7) Sonya Renee (8) Stephanie Williams (9) Krissi Reeves (10) Rachel McKibbens (11) Basik Knowledge (12) Q | 71 | Charlotte, NC |
| 2005 | Buddy Wakefield | (2) Versiz (3) Maze Forever (4) Roger Bonair-Agard (5) Joaquin Zihuatanejo (6) Black Butta Fly (Mekkah) (7) Chris August (8) Bluz (9) Future (10) Da Minista (11) MAD (12) Ansel Appleton | 60 | Worcester, MA |
| 2004 | Buddy Wakefield | (2) TIE - Celena Glenn & Ed Mabrey (4) Rachel McKibbens (5) Paradox (6) Alvin Lau (7) ? (8) Marcell Murphy (9) Beth Bullmer (Other finalists: Ali Langston, Thee Black Falcon, Jonathan Brown, Xodus) | 60 | Greenville, SC |