Start: 5 pm
(local time)

Tickets and more information here.

Watch poets change the world with their words.

Join this live celebration of writers who answer the call of a mic on a stand.

Elect a new Slam-bassador. Australian Poetry Slam (APS) invites you to ignore that wrinkled cushion begging your bum to curl into your couch. Get up. 

Be spellbound by the nation’s top 16 spoken-wordsmiths reflecting the spotlight off their chests, igniting every mind in the room.

APS is the home of stories and poetry told bold, vulnerable and alive. Writers rip scrawled leaves of passion from their notebooks as the audience chooses the 2026 Slam-bassador to represent spoken word at international festivals in the 2027 tour. Tell our leaders to step aside. From today, Poets Run This! 

APS stages creative democratic forums. We annually elect a National Poetry Slambassador: A cathartic champion. A geiger counter clicking out the country’s true anthems. 

The ultimate prize is about $20k worth of publishing and gigs at Ubud Writers and Readers Festival, Byron Writers Festival and more.

HOST: Miles Merrill
WELCOME TO COUNTRY: Michael West
FEATURED ARTISTS: Arantza Garcia Ferrand (APS Champion, 2025) and the APS 2026 National Finalists.

Content Warning: Most Poetry Slams are all ages and some content may not be suitable for children. Performances may include strong language and / or adult themes.

Event times local time.

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This Australian Poetry Slam event is presented by Word Travels.

Supported by: The NSW Government through Create NSW.  Also supported by Ubud Writers and Readers Festival and Byron Writers Festival. 

Sydney Opera House – Bennelong Point, Sydney NSW 2000