Event Overview for “SLAM 2026”

What is “SLAM 2026”?

"SLAM 2026" is the German-Language Poetry Slam Championship. It is the most important and prestigious competition for live literature in the entire German-speaking world and has been held once a year since its inception in 1997, with the venue changing each time. This year, the Poetry Slam Championship will once again take place in Hanover. 

How do you win the poetry slam championship?

This year’s 30th edition will welcome around 200 poets and event organizers to the state capital of Hanover. Participants will compete against one another in various disciplines—such as individual and team competitions—and recite texts they have written themselves within a set time limit. 

To participate, poets must first qualify through local and regional preliminary rounds or national championships. The participants come from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Italy, Liechtenstein, and Luxembourg.

The live audience rates the performances and thus decides who advances to the next round and ultimately wins the finals in the solo and team categories.

Where in Hanover will the “SLAM 2026” competitions take place?

The centerpiece of the four-day spectacle is the Faust Cultural Center, which will serve as the festival hub and host nine preliminary rounds and two team semifinals. The venues include the Warenannahme, the 60s Hall, and the Tango Milieu. In addition, the Herrenhausen Gallery and the Pavillon Cultural Center will host the semifinals of the individual competition, and the Theater am Aegi will host the two finals.
 

Program Overview for “SLAM 2026”

Over the course of four days, the poetry slam scene in Hanover will come together to crown its new champions in the individual and team competitions.