All poets will be asked to memorize their poems by the National Poetry Slam. Alternates are asked to be ready to perform if a team member is unable to perform their duties. A poetry slam is a trademarked form of entertainment owned by Poetry Slam, Inc., a non-profit organization founded by Marc Smith. It is an open competition for poets to determine whose work touches the most hearts. Basically, poetry slams are the result of Marc Smith's vision to find a way to bring poetry back tothe people.
Poets have three minutes to read or perform an original creation.
Five judges who have been randomly selected from the audience will score each of the poets on a scale of 1 to 10. Judges are asked to consider both the performance and the craft of the poem. The high and low score will be dropped. The middle scores will be averaged. Winning poets actually get cash money for getting up there and sharing their work.