FIRST NATIONS
LAND
Australian Poetry Slam acknowledges that we work, live, and tell stories on unceded lands. We pay respect to First Nations Elders past and present. Always was, always will be First Nations land.
CONNECT WITH US
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2026 APS National Final: APS ‘26 Champions Blake Mackenzie & Bivor – photo credits: Nicola Bailey, design Adara Enthaler
APS ‘26 CHAMPIONS
The sun has risen on a new morning, one where we celebrate our newly elected, incredibly talented 2026 Australian Poetry Slambassadors: Blake Mackenzie & Bivor!
Bivor flew over from Alice Springs to represent the NT in the National Final, and 12-year-old Blake came to the Sydney Opera House from Newcastle to represent NSW.
Over the next 12 months, Blake and Bivor will share a prize pack that will give them opportunities to share their poetry in Australia and overseas in a number of ways – we cannot wait to hear more from these talented poets!
HELP OUR WORDS TRAVEL
We do a lot with our little piece of the pie but we can’t do it by ourselves.
Check out Creative Director, Miles Merrill’s, message to our supporters and indulge in his favourite pie recipe.
OUR IMPACT
Annually, Word Travels' and Australian Poetry Slam programs engage with thousands of writers and audience members.
In recent years annually we have:
3,714 participants in our programs
307,188 audience members
190 activities
9 arts workers employed
92 paid artists
Your tax-deductible donation helps us support performing writers to establish careers in Australia and internationally. Hundreds of people from diverse regional communities have become working spoken word poets through our programs.
2023 Australian Poetry Slam Champions Rob Waters and K.J. Hayward – photo credit: Jacquie Manning
SLAM YOUR POETRY: WRITE A REVOLUTION
Australian Poetry Slam partners with NewSouth Publishing to bring you Australia’s first guide to spoken word and poetry slams!
Written by Miles Merrill, the poet who brought slams down under, and award-winning high school teacher Narcisa Nozica, Slam Your Poetry catapults you from writing to performing to gigging, teaching and kick-starting your own slam community.
APS LIVESTREAMS
COLLECTION
Praise to the poets from around the country who have shared and bared their souls throughout the competition — thank you for being on our stage.