THURS 24TH SEPTEMBER
The Blues Kitchen, Manchester
Boisterous slam Night of spoken word and music
One Mic Stand brings together Manchester’s spoken word and music scene in a night of competitive performances.
Performance poets take the stage, competing for the title, cash prize, and bragging rights. Check out our lineup of past headliners and judges below!
Applying to slam
In collaboration with BBC Contains Strong Language, this One Mic Stand is an All Stars Edition!
Applicants must be previous poetry slam winners; any slam, any type, anywhere. If you've taken a title, we want to hear from you!
We get a huge number of applications for just 8 slots, so if you're not chosen this time, always apply again. Any questions, just email us at events@youngidentity.org.
Please submit links of you performing your work, including a headshot for promotion if chosen.
Application Deadline: midnight, Sunday 23rd August 2026
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Original Work - Each poem must be of the poet’s own creation.
Three Minutes - Each poet gets three minutes (plus a 30-second grace period) to read one poem. If the poet goes over grace time, points will begin to be deducted from the total score.
No Props - Performers are not allowed to employ the use of props or music during their performance. Just the poet and the stage!
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One Mic Stand consists of two rounds. After each poem, the poet receives 2 scores from our three judges. The scores are added together to create their final score, deciding whether or not they will make it to the final round.
Out of 10 for Content
Out of 10 for Performance
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The slam consists of two rounds. The poets with the highest scores move on to the next round. The Winner will get the chance to close the night with a final performance.
First Round (8 Poets)
Final Round (3-4 Poets)
being a headliner
If you’re interested in headlining a future One Mic Stand, email us at events@youngidentity.org or have your management reach out with your details.
Previous Headliners
Previous winners
