Jamaica’s vibrant spoken word scene is set to take the global stage as seven talented poets from the island have been nominated for the esteemed Best International Artiste category at the 2025 National Spoken Word Awards.

The nominees include Antonia Valaire who won the award twice, Kacy Garvey, Ras Takura, Wise Wurdz, Yashika Graham, Oku Onuru, and Neto Meeks.

The National Spoken Word Awards, founded in 2017 by international award-winning spoken word poet De’Andre Hawthorne aka Blaq Ice, aims to honour American Spoken Word Artists and international artists who have made an impact in the United States. The awards ceremony will take place on August 31 in Chicago, marking the culmination of International Spoken Word Month.

Voting is now open and will run until July 31. Jamaicans can show their support for their favourite poets by visiting https://blaqice.com/spoken-word-awards to cast their votes.