Primary Schools from across Scotland will take part in this year’s competition.
The Scottish Youth Poetry Slam - the bi-annual competition which sees Scotland’s most talented young wordsmiths go head-to-head in a fast-paced, good natured, highly inclusive contest - is back for 2025. The competition encourages young people to embrace language through poetry and spoken word. It crosses traditional barriers by using fun, youth culture elements to nurture language and literacy and engages young people in literature and culture and upskills them with creative ways to manage mental health.
Slam Masters - Hillhead Primary School with Dr Tawona Sitholé. Image courtesy of Scottish Youth Poetry Slam.
This year’s participating schools are from throughout Scotland – St Joseph’s Primary School, Helensburgh; St Ninian’s Episcopal Primary School, Perth; Cornton Primary School, Stirling; Findochty Primary School, Buckie in Morayshire and Hillhead Primary School in Glasgow. Organisers are hoping to add one final group to take part and any schools interested should contact: [email protected]
As part of the competition, the young people will participate in music, poetry and performance workshops, led by professional writers and performers, including Glasgow-based performance poet, comedian, actor and writer, Viv Gee and poet, playwright and UNESCO artist in residence at University of Glasgow, Dr Tawona Sitholé. Workshops will take place during August and September, leading up to Scottish Youth Poetry Slam 2025 on 1 October 2025 at Perth Theatre.
This year’s final will be hosted by Hannah Lavery, an Edinburgh-based short story writer, poet, playwright and performer. The young people will be entertained by Glasgow’s Doctur Normul, who will perform bluesey folk punk vocals over guitar.
Now in its sixth year, the competition is supported by The National Lottery through Creative Scotland and partnered by Scottish Book Trust, Dyslexia Scotland, Scottish Poetry Library, Stirling Council and organisers, conFAB.
Beth Cochrane, Literature Officer at Creative Scotland said: “Previous years of the Scottish Youth Poetry Slam have inspired young people from across the country to write some fantastic poetry, and it is great to see its return. This is an opportunity for young people to nurture their passion for writing and performance. The chance to read their work in front of a live audience has been a life-changing experience for many previous participants, with it boosting confidence and providing a safe and inclusive platform to express themselves.”
The last Scottish Youth Poetry Slam took place at Perth Theatre in October 2022. The individual winner was Lily Blake from Hillhead Primary School, Glasgow with her poem ‘Don’t Be in Such a Rush to Grow Up’. The group winners were Cornton Primary School, Stirling with their poem, ‘All the Emotions.'
SYPS Individual winner Lily Blake, image courtesy of SYPS.
Lois Lurinsky, Deputy Head Teacher, Hillhead Primary School, commented: "We are delighted to be returning to this year’s Scottish Youth Poetry Slam. Lily Blake lifted the individual trophy last time, which was a great boost for her confidence. We’re hopeful our pupils will do just as well this year. We are really excited about it and proud to be representing Glasgow at the Slam."
Louise Samphier, Head Teacher, Cornton Primary School in Stirling, commented: "We won the group title last time, and it was a real boost for our school. It really improved our pupils’ confidence, and we’re delighted to have been invited to take part in the Scottish Youth Poetry Slam 2025. Our school has creativity as a school improvement priority and the poetry slam suits this ambition perfectly."
Claire Thomson, Principal Teacher, St Joseph's Primary School, Helensburgh, commented: "We are all very excited to be taking part in our first Scottish Youth Poetry Slam. Our pupils are looking forward to working with the writers at the workshops and performing their work at the event. We're proud to be representing Argyll & Bute in this fantastic national competition."
Rachel McJury from ConFAB, organisers of the event, commented: “It’s great to have the Scottish Youth Poetry Slam returning for a sixth year and we can wait to welcome the young people representing schools across the country. They will get the chance to attend workshops where they will work with professional writers and performers to create poems on any subject. Some pupils will perform on their own and others will perform with their class.
"We’re looking forward to hearing what they come up with and we can’t wait to see them all perform!
“The competition is a great way to allow these young people to express themselves through words and compete against other schools. The Slam encourages them to express themselves freely and work with their fellow classmates to write and perform a poem for the final.”
This year, organisers are recruiting for two interns who will be in place from May until November. One internship will be a workshop facilitator and the other, a social media officer. The workshop facilitator will shadow the workshops and then create their own workshops for the winning group. The social media intern will create content for the competition, attend some of the workshops and the final, and take part in publicising the winners.
Those interested should contact: [email protected]
Background
Creative Scotland is the public body that supports culture and creativity across all parts of Scotland, distributing funding provided by the Scottish Government and The National Lottery, which, now in its 30th year, has supported over 14,600 projects with more than £501.9 million in funding through Creative Scotland and its predecessor, the Scottish Arts Council. Further information at creativescotland.com. Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Learn more about the value of art and creativity in Scotland and join in at www.ourcreativevoice.scot.
Media contacts
Issued on behalf of ConFAB by Lisa Watt, LWPR. For further information or interviews with any of the participating schools, contact Lisa on 07903 206615 or email: [email protected]