THE POETRY & SPOKEN WORD EVENT OF THE YEAR!
The Big Church Poetry Slam returned for its 2026 Live Semi-Final at KCBC London, with twelve talented spoken word poets taking to the stage for the chance to secure a place in the Grand Final at Big Church Festival on 29 August.
Presented by Big Church Festival, AStepFWD, POETIC UK and Urban Wordsmiths, the event highlighted the growing strength of Christian spoken word poetry across the UK. With each poet given two minutes to respond to the theme “Valley and the Mountain Top”, the audience experienced a wide range of creative approaches, personal stories and powerful performances. After a closely fought competition judged by Poetess Jess, Storm Cecile and reigning champion Jaykspeaks, who all praised the exceptionally high standard throughout the evening, the eight poets progressing to the Grand Final are: Blessed Poetry, Dominic Aj, Godlovesnatalieandyou, Ilo, Marie Verheul, Rhema_reciter, Rosamund Frances and Tobi.
Saskia Bassey’s lively hosting kept things moving smoothly throughout and to top the night off, the audience was treated to standout performances from all three judges. The stage is now set for the Big Church Poetry Slam Grand Final at Big Church Festival, where over 35,000 will gather for the UK’s biggest Christian festival, and where the eight finalists will compete for the 2026 title!
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CONGRATS TO THE BIG CHURCH POETRY SLAM 2026 FINALISTS!
The Big Church Poetry Slam is the result of four organisations working together with a shared vision. Big Church Festival provides one of Europe’s biggest stages for Christian artists. Urban Wordsmiths, founded by Dai Woolridge, has spent years developing spoken word across churches, schools and festivals. POETIC UK exists to champion poets and create spaces where spoken word can flourish, while AStepFWD continues to build platforms that help Christian creatives grow, connect and reach new audiences.
This is going to be one epic showdown of poetry and spoken word creative talent so get your clicking fingers ready!