Mill City Speaks Slam Rules
TL;DR -
No Props
anything that is not available as part of the stage set up or part of the poets person
No Costumes
No outfits themed to the content of the poem
No Musical Accompaniment
Poets are, however, allowed to use any noise their body can make at the time of performance
All Original Work
3 minute time limit, 10 second grace period
-0.5 time penalty for every 10 second after 3m10s
Trigger Warnings are recommended and will not be counted IF provided BEFORE otherwise addressing the audience
Example - Walk up to the mic > Provide trigger warning > Begin poem
Expanded
No Props
No props may be used. A prop is defined as anything that is not available as part of the stage set up. The most common prop fouls occur with clothing and jewelry. For example, a prop foul may result by the poet saying “My mother gave me this necklace before she died” and gesturing towards a necklace the poet is wearing.
Examples of things that are NOT props and are considered fair use or “part of the body:” the microphone+stand, assistive/adaptive technology (wheelchair, cane, etc), hair, tattoos, glasses, religious head coverings.
No Costumes
No costumes may be worn. The poet must be wearing the clothes they were wearing when they entered the space. These clothes should not be “themed” towards the content of the poem, and poets are not allowed to change clothes during or in between poems. (Removal of a hat, jacket, sweatshirt pre-performance is acceptable).
No Musical Accompaniments
No musical accompaniment is allowed. This includes any kind of instrument (which would also be considered a prop), song recording, etc. Poets are, however, allowed to use any noise their body can make (singing, beatboxing, etc. are allowed). A group piece in which one person is singing while another is speaking is allowed.
Sampling
It is acceptable for poets to incorporate, imitate, or otherwise "signify on" the words, lyrics, or tune of someone else (commonly called "sampling") in their own work (20% of the poem, maximum). If a poet replicates another poet's words (i.e., reciting multiple lines verbatim), they should receive the same repercussion as if using a prop.
Time Limits
Each piece will have a 3 minute time limit, with a ten second grace period. After the ten second grace period, points will be deducted at a rate of .5 points per ten seconds. For example, a
poem at 3:10.01 would be deducted one-half (.5) point, and a poem at 3:23 would be deducted one point.
3:10 and under = no penalty 3:10.01–3:20 = -0.5 3:20.01–3:30 = -1.0 3:30.01–3:40 = -1.5 3:40.01–3:50 = -2.0 and so on [-0.5 for every 10 seconds over 3:10]
A poet’s time starts at the first acknowledgement of the audience. This could be a wave to their friend in the audience, a joke to the host, etc. Most often this is the first utterance. Things that are not included: adjusting the mic, throat clearing, sneezing, looking at another member of a group piece, snapping at the mic to get a sound check.
Trigger/Content Warnings
Trigger/content warnings are optional, and there will be a blanket content warning provided for the entire show. Individual poets are not required to provide content warnings, but are welcome to do so, acknowledging that they do count as first acknowledgement of the audience and will start your time. Scoring
Each poem will be scored by 5 random audience judges; the high and low score will be dropped, making a perfect score out of 30. If time penalties occur, they will be deducted from the poet’s final score. The team with the highest cumulative score will win the bout. The top four (4) teams with the highest cumulative rankings of bouts one and two will advance to finals. (For example, a team that got a 1 (first place) in the first bout and a 1 in the second bout would advance to finals, with a total cumulative ranking of 2. This continues for the top four teams with the strongest cumulative ranking.)
If 5 judges cannot be found, 3 judges will score the competition, with no scores being dropped.
(The above rule set has been adapted from the Midwest Poetry Mashup Team Slam Tournament Rules and Procedures)