One performer delivers an original or chosen piece of performance poetry aloud, judged on the writing, the voice and the way the two work together.
Solo spoken word is performance poetry for one voice: a piece of writing made to be heard rather than read silently. The performer may write the piece or choose one, and the item is judged on the words and the delivery together, not on singing, acting or costume. It sits close to recitation and verse-speaking, but the writing is expected to have a point of view and a shape of its own.
A round is stripped back. The performer walks on, finds a position, pauses and begins, usually with no set and no accompaniment unless the organiser allows it. Everything the panel takes away comes from the opening image, the build through a few turns, the rhythm and the silence before and after lines. With nobody to share lines with, pace, breath and stillness matter even more than in a group piece.
On eTalenter the item is carried by three talent templates: a United States junior talent template (entrants aged 7 to 12, a four-minute limit, marked out of 5), an international teen talent template (ages 13 to 19, no time limit printed, scored as a rating with a maximum of 5) and a Jamaican talent showcase (marked out of 100, no time limit printed, with children and youth classes). In all three it is an individual item in English, open to both genders.
Organisers run it because it is cheap to stage, quick to judge and opens the programme to entrants who like writing as much as performing. It sits beside the small group and large group spoken word items, which are separate classes for teams, so a soloist never competes against a rehearsed ensemble.
Where Solo Spoken Word is run
On eTalenter this item is carried by three talent templates: a United States junior talent template, an international teen talent template and a Jamaican talent showcase. Performance poetry and slam-style events also run in schools, colleges and youth arts programmes in many places, but this page records only the templates that carry the item, so organisers elsewhere should check their own notice for time limit and judging headings.
- United States
- Jamaica
- Worldwide
Key facts
- Individual item: one performer, one piece, one score
- Three templates carry it: junior solo (7-12), teens (13-19) and Jamaican children and youth classes
- Only the junior template prints a time limit: four minutes
- Scored as marks (junior out of 5, Jamaican out of 100) and as a rating in the teen template
- English language, open to both genders in all three templates
- Listed in the Drama category beside the small group and large group spoken word items
On eTalenter, Solo Spoken Word is filed under Drama and typically scored with Marks, Rating out of 10. It appears in 3 ready-made event templates — each one can adjust its time limit, age-group assignment and scoring setup independently.
Across the templates that use it, Solo Spoken Word is most often entered as an Individual competition, typically scored out of 5, commonly time-limited to around 4 minutes where a limit is set.
What judges look at in Solo Spoken Word
What a Solo Spoken Word panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- The writing: one clear idea, concrete images and a shape with a beginning, a turn and an ending rather than a list of lines
- Voice and delivery: pace, volume, pause and emphasis that sound natural and keep the room listening
- Rhythm and sound: repetition, rhyme or beat that carries the meaning instead of drowning it
- Clarity and diction: every word reaching the back of the room, including the fast lines and the quiet ones
- Presence and stillness: a confident walk on, steady eye contact and small, purposeful gesture
- Time discipline: a finish inside the limit where one is set, without rushing the last lines
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Solo Spoken Word under Scoring Setup, or start from the full recitation and poetry judging criteria guide.
How to prepare for Solo Spoken Word
How entrants and their teachers usually get Solo Spoken Word right on the day:
- Start with one thing to say and write toward it; a single clear point beats five half-points
- Read the draft aloud from the first day and cut every line that only sounds clever on paper
- Mark a copy for breath, pause and stress, and rehearse from that same copy every time
- Choose where the piece speeds up and where it slows; a soloist needs deliberate changes of pace to hold attention
- Practise the pause before the first word and the held silence after the last
- Rehearse in a large room with a listener at the back and ask them to repeat any line they missed
- Record a run on a phone and listen for rushing, sing-song patterns and word endings that disappear
- Time every run against the organiser's limit and check the notice on props, music and content rules
Frequently asked questions
Is Solo Spoken Word judged individually or as a team?
Across eTalenter's templates it's most often run as an Individual entry, though an organiser can set either participation type when assigning the item to an age group.
Is solo spoken word the same as poetry recitation?
Not quite. Recitation interprets an existing poem, while spoken word is performance poetry where the writing and its delivery are judged together. Check the notice for whether original writing is expected.
Can I write my own piece?
The templates do not restrict it, and original writing is the usual form for this item. Organisers may set a theme or require a chosen text, so read the notice.
How long can the piece be?
The junior template prints four minutes. The teen and Jamaican templates print no limit, so organisers should publish one.
Can I use music, props or a backing track?
The templates do not say. Spoken word is normally voice only, so ask the organiser before adding anything.
How is it different from the group spoken word items?
Solo spoken word is one performer judged individually. The small group and large group items are team classes with their own scores.
Want the full judging picture? Read the full recitation and poetry judging criteria guide, or browse every drama competition item.
Try Solo Spoken Word in eTalenter
See every ready-made template that runs Solo Spoken Word, and install one as a live event — age groups, rules and scoring included.
