![[Read] 2026 OutLoud Slam!](https://cms.wheelercentre.com/media/lw1oanuo/read_-outloud-desktop.jpg?anchor=center&mode=crop&width=1280&height=720&format=webp&quality=90 "[Read] 2026 OutLoud Slam!")
On Tuesday 5 May, The Wheeler Centre hosted the 2026 OutLoud Poetry Slam. Electric, vibrant and alive with urgent young voices, from the moment the first student stepped to the microphone it was clear this was going to be something special. Creative Director Emilie Zoey Baker sums it up in one word: essential.
Photos by Genevieve Rankin
Presented in partnership with Australian Poetry, as part of Melbourne Writers Festival, the OutLoud Finals brought together school teams from across Victoria for an afternoon of bold, brilliant and deeply moving performance poetry. With amazing guest performances from both Sista Zai and N’fa Jones, it was an event to remember forever.
The student finalists tackled identity, belonging, politics, injustice and mental health with a ferocity and maturity that left audiences stunned. At more than one point, you could hear a pin drop.
It was a particular honour to welcome Australia's current Children's Laureate and bestselling author, Andy Griffiths, as a finalist judge alongside The Wheeler Centre's own Pranati Narayan Visweswaran, whose warmth and insight made every performer feel seen and celebrated.
These young poets are not the future, they are the present, and they are extraordinary.
🏆 Junior Winners: Almira Hafiz, Hanna Joby & Japseerat Kaur — Clyde Secondary College
🥈 Junior Runners Up: Aarav Ajithkumar, Thenul Gamage & Quan Thai — Melbourne High
🏆 Senior Winner: Noah Boug — Star of the Sea
🥈 Senior Runners Up: Mansi Patel & Rachel Crosbie — Ivanhoe Girls Grammar
✨ Best Performer Overall: Meryem Ben Jemaa — Ilim College
Presented in partnership with OutLoud and Melbourne Writers Festival in collaboration with Australian Poetry
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