Local poet Tom Ramsden has been chosen to represent Manchester at Slamovision, the UNESCO Cities of Literature global poetry slam.

‘The Eurovision of Spoken Word’ has been contested since 2019, with the competition getting fiercer every year. 18 cities participated in 2025, with 21 taking part in this year’s final. As the last city to take home the crown, Iowa City will host this year’s final, which will be live-streamed from the James Theatre on 1st November.

We are delighted to announce that Tom Ramsden will be representing Manchester at Slamovision 2026.

Tom Ramsden has been writing and performing poetry in Manchester on and off since 2018. He’s very lucky to have shared stages with some of Manchester’s most talented poets, both those who – like him – were born and bred here, and those who have made the city their home. He knows that, even when motivation is at a low, he can rely on Manchester’s poetry community to find new ways to inspire him, and hopes to do the same for others.

Tom’s poem ‘Dead Language‘ was selected by a judging panel of previous Manchester Slamovision representatives, and his performance was recorded at The Poetry Place. Manchester City of Literature received an impressive variety of submissions from local poets this year, showcasing the high level of talent in our city’s spoken word scene. We would like to extend a huge thank you to all those who shared their work to us.

Each participating City of Literature office will now review the poets’ video entries and allocate points to select a winner – though no city can vote for itself. This will take place alongside a public vote – click here to watch the entries and choose your favourite.

The cities participating in 2026 are: Angoulême (France), Bremen (Germany), Dublin (Ireland), Edinburgh (Scotland), Exeter (England), Gdańsk (Poland), Gothenburg (Sweden), Heidelberg (Germany), Hobart (Tasmania), Iowa City (USA), Kraków (Poland), Kutaisi (Georgia), Lyon (France), Manchester (England), Nottingham (England), Odesa (Ukraine), Quebec City (Canada), Taif (Saudi Arabia), Tartu (Estonia), Vilnius (Lithuania) and Wroclaw (Poland).

Manchester has an excellent track record at Slamovision, with Esther Koch winning in 2023, and Griot Gabriel coming second in 2024. Griot Gabriel’s poem ‘Where I’m From’ went on to win the 2025 Forward Prize for ‘Best Single Poem Performed.’ We wish Tom the very best of luck for this year’s competition.