Poets on stage: Ayse Irem wins German Poetry Slam Championship

Ayse Irem from North Rhine-Westphalia is the new German-language Poetry Slam champion. At this year's competition, the 26-year-old prevailed against 80 competitors in the individual competition and received a standing ovation from the approximately 1,800 audience members in Chemnitz's city hall. She competed for I,Slam – a network of Muslim poetry slammers.

In her combative lyrics, the trained architect addresses everyday racism in Germany and the feeling of "never being white enough." Julius Althoetmar from Bavaria and Lia Hartl from Austria took second and third place behind Irem.

For four days, Chemnitz, the 2025 European Capital of Culture, was the meeting place for the German-language poetry slam scene. The modern poetry competition was held in both individual and team categories. In the team final on Friday evening, the Berlin duo Wortwin & Slamson prevailed among eight finalists. According to the organizers, the duo secured their third team title through linguistic originality, precise timing, and captivating stage presence.

In a poetry slam, authors perform their own texts on stage and face the judgment of the audience. The texts can be critical, funny, political, and even personal. Performers must adhere to a time limit. While props such as costumes or other aids are forbidden, facial expressions and gestures are permitted, and the text can even be rapped.

Participants from seven countries

The championship was held for the 29th time. Participants came from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Belgium, Liechtenstein, and Luxembourg. Poetry slams have a large fan base in German-speaking countries, and such competitions are held regularly, especially in major cities. Previous finalists of the German-language championship include well-known names like Hazel Brugger and Marc-Uwe Kling.