Slamtastic Youth Open Mic & Poetry Slam

The Slamtastic stage is now open! Calling all young singers, poets, rappers and storytellers to sign up for our youth open mic Join host Blackpicasso as we bring you the best in expression! Teens 19 & under are encouraged to sign up for the poetry slam competition, but whether you're 8 or 80, the open mic portion is for you!

2026 Slam Competition Season

It is officially Youth Slam Competition Season in the DMV, and we can’t wait to see the talented youth poets competing to be crowned the Grand Slam Champion and earn a select spot on our 2026 DMV Youth Slam Team. We invite all youth poets ages 13-19 to compete in our monthly slam competitions from January 2026 to June 2026. It consists of three rounds, the quarter finals, semi-Finals and the grand Finals, where we crown a Grand Slam Champion and announce the newest members of our 2026 DMV Youth Slam Team. 

Once our DMV Youth Slam Team is in place, the fun continues. Our youth poets will receive tailored training with our poetry and writing experts. They will be engaged in hands-on instruction to advance their writing skills and prepare to compete at the Brave New Voices International Poetry Festival in San Francisco, California in July 2026. Youth Poets interested in competing in our Slamtatic competitions must complete an application form at the bottom of this page. 

2026 Slam Season Competition Schedule

Slamtastic Competition #1: Saturday Jan 3, 2026

Slamtastic Competition #2 Saturday Feb 7, 2026

Slamtastic Competition #3: Saturday March 7, 2026

Quarter-finals: Saturday April 4, 2026

Semi-finals: Saturday May 2, 2026

Grand finals: Saturday, Jun 6, 2026