The Omaha Public Library is holding its 20th Annual Teen Poetry Bash on Saturday, December 5th at 1:30 PM. However, due to Covid and safety precautions, the Slam will be held virtually via Zoom. The bash is open to anyone in 8th-12th grade, that is also a resident of Douglas County, Nebraska, or its surrounding metro area.

Students must have two original poems prepared to either slam (from memory) or read. There are four cash prizes available for students to win from the bash. The first-place prize is $100, the second-place prize is $50, the third-place prize is $25, and there’s an audience favorite prize for $10.

Students wanting to perform and people wanting to view the bash must register online at eventbrite.com. Registration is free for both students and audience members. There are only 13 spots remaining for performers and 40 tickets left for audience members.

Registration for performers ends on December 4th and registration for tickets ends on December 5th. A link for the Zoom meeting will be emailed to performers 24 hours prior to the bash and to audience members an hour in advance.

The bash is featuring Louder Than A Bomb (LTAB) coaches from the Nebraska Writers Collective as judges and emcees. The bash features two rounds, which is why contestants need to prepare two original poems. All of the contestants compete in the first round. Then, the top-scoring entrants go on to perform a second poem in the finals round for a chance to win one of the cash prizes.

Winners of the bash must pick up their prizes in person from the Omaha Public Library. Winners will be emailed after the bash to set up a day and time to pick up their prize.

The bash asks that poems not exceed a PG-13 rating and avoid the use of explicit language and topics. For a more comprehensive list of the rules, visit drive.google.com or scroll down on the Eventbrite website and click the link that says “the official rules.”

As of now, there are two TJ performers competing in the slam, though it would be great if more entered! Good luck to everyone that plans on participating in the bash.