CONTEST OVERVIEW

Knicks Poetry Slam Final

Don't miss out on the BEST poetry show in
New York City!

WHAT: Knicks Poetry Slam Final
WHEN: March 3, 2009 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
WHERE: The Grand Ballroom, Manhattan Center

Come watch the Knicks Poetry Slam Finalists compete for over $200,000 in grants and prizes. And it’s FREE admission...

PRIZES:

Spittin' Prize:
1st Place winner: $10,000 educational grant, laptop, printer & $25,000
Nike branded equipment drop to the first place winner's school
2nd Place winner: $7,500 educational grant, laptop & printer
3rd Place winner: $5,000 educational grant, laptop & printer
4th - 10th Place winners: $1,000 educational grant
The 10 Finalists score a session to customize their own NIKEiD shoes

Written Prize:
TWO Essay Contest Winners
4-year full-tuition scholarship to the Univ. of Wisconsin
4-year full-tuition scholaraship to Mercy College

Knicks Poetry Slam Participants:
Nike will host a career seminar where sports execs from the New York Knicks and Nike will speak about careers in sports.

How to Enter the Spittin' Contest:

1. REGISTER
   
   
2. Show up November 15th at 10:00am to the Open Audition & College Fair held at Madison Square Garden Expo Center.
   
   
3. Perform your one-minute poem
   
   
4. If judges think you've got the goods to win, you'll advance to the poetry workshops. BUT, we're only taking the top 150 contestants, so if you're motivated and ready to give it your all... this is YOUR chance!
   
   
5. The Knicks and Urban Word NYC will have 5 exclusive workshop site locations throughout the NYC area. These workshops are designed to sharpen your skillz... so basically we're giving you the chance to bring your best game to the semi-finals! You'll get one-on-one attention from a master artist who will assist you in creating new material, editing and performing. Each of the 5 site locations will host 6 unique workshops to make sure you've got it down pat before the big performance. After attending at least 4 of the 6 workshops held from November to January, you'll have the chance to compete in the Knicks semi-final slam in January. Workshop locations and dates TBA.
   
   
6. At semi-finals, each contestant will perform a 3-minute poem and have the chance to advance to the Finals on March 3, 2009 (only 10 of the 150 will make it to the Finals). Semi-final locations TBA.
   
   
7. HOLD UP... before you begin step 1, ya gotta REGISTER.

In addition to performing at the Open Audition, you'll have the chance to talk with reps from over 40 colleges and organizations. Yeah, that's right... there will be tons of college info in the Expo Center for you to check out, so bring your friends.

How to Enter the Written Contest:

If you're a high school senior... this could be your chance to win a 4-year scholarship to the University of Wisconsin or Mercy College. Read on to see if you've got what it takes:

1. REGISTER
   
   
2. Show up November 15th for the Open Audition & College Fair held at Madison Square Garden Expo Center. Attend the Written Contest workshops offered throughout the day to learn more about the contest. In addition, make sure to stop by the Urban Word NYC table to sign up for Creatively College Bound, held through Dec. 8th. Pick up a University of Wisconsin applcation and Mercy College application at the Open Audition and submit it to Urban Word NYC by December 15th.
   
   
3. Application Workshops for University of Wisconsin and Mercy College will be held from 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. on December 6th and 7th.
   
   
4. On Jan. 5th, University of Wisconsin and Mercy College will send acceptance letters.
   
   
5. If you've been accepted to University of Wisconsin or Mercy College, you must submit an essay entitled "Reasons I Write" by Jan. 26th.

Once the essays are reviewed by contest officials, winners will be selected. Two deserving students will earn a FREE college education!

And by the way... it's possible to win the Written Contest and the Spittin' Contest. So don't hesitate to give both contests all you've got!

Participating Colleges @ Knicks Poetry Slam Open Audition and College Fair

Baruch College	Queensborough Community
Boricua College	Quinnipiac University
Bronx Community College	Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
College of Staten Island	St Joseph's College
Connecticut Culinary Institute	St. John's University
Coppin State University	St. Lawrence University
Cornell University	SUNY Brockport
Dowling College	SUNY Buffalo State College
Emerson College	SUNY Canton College
Five Towns College	SUNY Cobleskill
Harvard College	SUNY Cortland
Institute of Audio Research	SUNY New Paltz
Johnson and Wales University	SUNY Westchester Community College
Kingsborough College	The Art Institute
Lincoln Technical Institute	The College of New Rochelle
Macaulay Honors College at CUNY	U.S. Air Force Academy
Marist College	U.S. Naval Academy
Marymount Manhattan College	Universal Technical Institute
Mercy College	University of Bridgeport
Metropolitan College of NY	University of New Haven
Monroe College	University of Wisconsin
Mount Holyoke College	Utica College
New Jersey Institute of Technology	Virginia International University
Niagara University	Wittenberg University
NYC College of Technology	York College

Organizations

City Year
HESC
Kaplan
Princeton Review
Score Educational Centers

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

SPONSORS

Hymowitz Children's Educational Foundation, Inc. The Joan Goldstein Education Foundation

REGISTRATION FORM