Chemnitz in poetry slam fever: 300 artists fight for the title!

Chemnitz in poetry slam fever: 300 artists fight for the title!

The 29th international German-speaking poetry slam championships start today, October 29, 2025, in Chemnitz. This event, which lasts until November 1, 2025, has established itself as a magnet for around 300 artists from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg and South Tyrol. The event not only promotes the art of storytelling, but also brings a breath of fresh air to the local cultural scene, which is enlivened by the Spektakel Collective Chemnitz e.V. This young artist group has made it its mission to promote the voestalpine scene and young talent by regularly offering poetry slam events and workshops for children and young people. In this way, the next generation of poets will be accompanied and inspired from the very beginning.

The poetry slam itself is a modern poetry competition in which each performance is limited to a maximum length of six minutes and the audience judges the best texts. This makes the competition particularly exciting and dynamic, because in a world full of digitalization and distractions, the artists are asked to captivate in the shortest possible time. It is worth mentioning that the art form has been recognized as intangible cultural heritage in German-speaking countries since 2016. The championship celebrates a highlight of this tradition.

A celebration of the word

In Chemnitz, spectators can experience the slammers' performances in various locations such as the Weltecho Club, the Metropol Kino, the Chemnitz Opera and the Chemnitz City Hall. These venues offer the perfect backdrop for the emotional and often socially critical texts that are presented. In order to organize the championship, the participants will compete in preliminary rounds and semi-finals before the winner is chosen on November 1, 2025. The participants also include prominent names such as the reigning champion Anuraj Sri Rajarajendran from Landau as well as various talents from the East German scene, which is often considered underrepresented, including Eva Stützer, Dana Galkina and many more.

The talented slam poets present texts that cover a wide range of topics. An example of this is an emotional text that highlights the relationships between a child and his mother. Here the child expresses his inner conflict and pain because he feels misunderstood and needs support while the mother has her own struggles. These complex and profound stories are what make the poetry slam so special and take listeners on an emotional journey.

Poetry Slam and its stars

Well-known names in the field of poetry slam include Marc-Uwe Kling and Hazel Brugger. These artists popularized the genre and show that slam poetry is not only a competition but also a valuable medium of expression. The Chemnitz Championships are an excellent opportunity for aspiring talents to compete with the best in the industry and present their texts to a wide audience.

The competition will not only test the participants' individual acting skills, but also promote team spirit - the award ceremony for the most successful duo will certainly cause enthusiasm, especially since Tommy and Annika (Christoph Steiner and Lisa Rothhardt) from Austria were able to assert themselves in the team competition.

The Chemnitz Championships mark a significant step for the city and regional culture, which has often been overshadowed by other events in the past. With over 300 artists and a dedicated audience, this championship will be an event to remember - and perhaps a springboard for the next great voices in the German poetry scene.

For more information about the events and ticket sales, visit the event's official page at Slam25.