Poetry Slam
These are the rules this site’s tabulation engine implements — five judges, the high and the low dropped, and the clock biting at 3:11.
May 14-16, 2027
A tournament, a professional development conference, an election and an awards night — all in one weekend at the Grand Hotel, as MSCI has run it since the early 1980s.
Stock photograph
The weekend
The 2027 tournament director is Heather McKaig. An assistant director is still to be named.
The Grand Hotel is the venue and the accommodation both. The Mackinac grant covers a new coach’s room, meals and every event of the weekend.
Entered on MISpeechHub — opens when the director publishes it.
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
The tournament
The spring tournament opens the next high school season and closes the current middle school one, which is why the rules about pieces differ by level.
The 2026 slate
MSCI publishes the following year’s events in the autumn, so this is the most recent full slate rather than 2027’s.
What a student may bring
Published rules
Two events on the slate are scored unlike anything in the regular season, so MSCI publishes them in full. The rest are described when the year's events are announced.
These are the rules this site’s tabulation engine implements — five judges, the high and the low dropped, and the clock biting at 3:11.
Expectations
All performances should be appropriate for a general audience. Although these presentations are not specifically designed for children, the material should be deemed suitable for family viewing. The material may contain little to no violence, no strong language, no drug use or references and no sexual dialogue or situations. The performances can contain witty jokes and humor and some snippets of language may go beyond polite conversation, but they are common everyday expressions. It is expected that in all categories these considerations will still be followed.
Spirit of competition
While this competition is meant to be a “fun” tournament, we expect a reasonable level of professionalism and decorum. In the “spirit of competition,” students should be prepared accordingly. Pieces should reach minimum time recommendations, be reasonably prepared, and be appropriate for presentation to a public audience. Further, performance pieces should never ridicule or degrade other participants, schools, or the activity. Pieces should meet the standards for appropriateness used during the regular competition season. Failure to meet these standards may incur scoring penalties or other team sanctions determined appropriate by the tournament director and/or the MSCI Executive Board.
Professional development
Saturday sessions, open to everyone at the conference and free with attendance. The Mackinac grant asks its recipients to sit in on one.
Sessions MSCI has run
The 2027 programme is announced closer to the conference. Sessions run in the Baroque Room; they were in the Audubon Room until 2025.
The record
Every Mackinac tournament the archive holds, each one opening on this site.
| Year | Results |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Results |
| 2025 | Results |
| 2024 | Results |
| 2023 | Results |
| 2022 | Results |
| 2021 | No tournament |
| 2020 | No tournament |
| 2019 | Results |
| 2018 | Results |
| 2017 | Results |
| 2016 | Results |
| 2014 | Results |
| 2013 | Results |
| 2012 | Results |
| 2011 | Results |
| 2009 | Results |
The books sit in the results archive, beside every other Michigan meet we have recovered. A year missing here is one the archive does not hold yet.
The Grand Hotel, and the tournament in its rooms. The picture beside this one is stock and says so.