Poetry slam scene chooses its champions in Chemnitz

Chemnitz will be the Mecca of the poetry slam scene in the coming days. Until Saturday, the best poets in the German-speaking world will be crowned in the European Capital of Culture 2025. There will be 80 of them competing in the individual competition alone, plus a further 16 teams. They come from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Belgium, Liechtenstein and Luxembourg. The competition is held over several rounds, with the German championship title being the final prize. The prize is not endowed.

Rapping is allowed in the poetry competition

In a poetry slam, authors perform texts they have written themselves on a stage and are judged by the audience. They have a time limit, and aids such as costumes or props are taboo. The focus is on the presentation of the text, but facial expressions and gestures are used, rapping is allowed and elements of beatboxing are incorporated into the performance. The texts can be critical, humorous, political or even very personal.

The German Championship is now being held for the 29th time. According to the organizers, previous finalists include well-known names such as Hazel Brugger, Marc-Uwe Kling, Moritz Neumeier and André Herrmann. In addition to the competition itself, it is also about the exchange within the scene. This is particularly strong in large capital and university cities, such as Berlin, Munich and Hamburg, but also Leipzig and Jena, it was said. Around 5,000 spectators are expected to attend the championships in Chemnitz.