3 Days of Team & Individual Competition

(please note: attendance at the poet's orientation on March 21st at 1 pm is required for all poets)

All poets experience 2 nights of preliminary competition (Thursday, March 21st & Friday, 22nd) with 3 Early Bouts and 3 Late Bouts per night. 

Each night there will be 3 bouts happening simultaneously in 3 separate venues. Venues and placement in prelims are determined by a public, random draw prior to the festival. 

Prelims Structure:

Team                                                     Indies

Late Bouts on March 21st                    Early Bouts on March 21st

Early Bouts on March 22nd                   Late Bouts on March 22nd

Finals Stage  March 23rd

Team bouts are each 4 rounds, with one spot per bout reserved for each team member. This spot may be used by the team member individually, or for a group piece in which that team member is the primary author. Teams needs 8 poems (any combination of solo or team pieces) for preliminaries, plus 2 additional poems if they advance to Finals. After 2 days of prelims, the top 4 teams advance to Finals. 

Indie Bouts are each 2 round bouts. Indies need 4 poems for preliminaries, plus 2 additional poems if they advance to Finals. After 2 days of prelims, the top 4 Indies advance to Finals

For both Team & Indie Competition, scores are cumulative. Cumulative scores determine Team and Individual rankings.  Time for all rounds and bouts is 3 minutes with a 10 second grace period. 

Order of competition will be determined by random draw at the venue before your bouts, so be sure to arrive at your venue early. After your bout is over, one member of your team will need to sign the bout sheet. 
 

Slam Rules

No costumes, props or musical accompaniment allowed.

Check our Format & Rules page for more, but please note, in addition to the rules and format guidelines there, we absolutely will not tolerate anyone plagiarizing another poet's work. This is grounds for immediate removal from competition. If work you are doing is inspired by another poet or samples their work, please be sure to credit them. 

This is a free speech event, but any form of hate speech or unwanted actions against anyone will not be allowed. Violation of this will result in an immediate zero score on your poem and expulsion.  

Since there is always at least one poet who asks – No, you do NOT have to memorize your poems (and should never have to). Do what works for you.  

This is a safe & consenting space. All poets are required to sign and agree to the Chicharra Code of Ethics. You will not be able to compete without this, so please be sure to get those turned in. 

Team Requirements 

Pick your team any way you like! Bring last year's team, this year's team, your youth team, or a hand picked  squad of poets and bring that fire!  (Teams may consist of up to 5 poets, but no less than 4 poets) 

Individual poets ~ simply register! 

We are working to ensure every venue is accessible and open to all of our competitors, but if you have team members under 21 or team members with accessibility needs please let us know during registration so that we can make accommodations as needed. 

All poets welcome regardless of experience, style, or demographics. We love all of you. 

Registration  

Simply click on the Registration tab at the top of the page, where you will find registration options for competition and the book market.

Team registration is $300 for up to 5 people. You are welcome to bring a 6th person (Coach, Slam Master or team Member) but there is a small additional fee of $50. 

Individual registration is $150.

Y'all, the cost of living is stupid right now. And we don't want anyone left out because of this, so we have a pay-over-time registration option available before February 15th, 2024.  Please complete all payments within 30 days if possible. After this it may become difficult to reserve your spot. 

We will keep a wait list, which will open one week after registration closes, so we have enough time to notify teams if they have been moved up to the active list. 

Can I register as part of a team and compete as an Indie as well? 

Absolutely! Several people have already - but please note, you will need to register and pay both registration fees.  If you got the ambition, we got the mics. 

For poets competing on a team - performing individual pieces during your slot is obviously fine, and its all love, but those scores will NOT be considered as qualifying for Indie finals. If you want to qualify for Indie Finals, you have to compete in the Indie bouts.  

We feel its important to respect both forms of competition and allow them to exist separately during the festival in order to maintain a sense of equity.

Other Ways to Participate   

Participating in the Chicharra is easy, and there are a few ways you can take part, even if you're not competing! 

If you have books or merchandise to sell, grab a table at the book market from our registration page at a minimal fee! 

Also we love (and need) volunteers! All volunteers receive sweet swag and free admission to Finals.  Without you, we can't do any of this! 

All workshops & daytime events are free, and open to all to attend. Check the schedule and plan your day!