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The Sixth Form Bolton proudly hosted the return of the highly anticipated B6 Poetry Slam 2026, showcasing an exceptional range of spoken word talent from across the sixth form community. The event opened with an energetic Open Mic Forum, where staff and students took to the stage to share original work and express themselves creatively.

This was followed by the main Slam competition, where participating students were challenged to write and perform an original poem in just 24 hours, based on prompt words under the themes of Relationships and Connection, Identity and Self, and finally, Creative and Abstract. The creativity, confidence and emotional depth on display made this year’s Slam one of the most memorable to date.

We were delighted to welcome back several B6 Alumni Poets — Blaise, Isaac, Amber and Tianna — who returned as guest judges. Each delivered an inspiring performance of their own before taking on the difficult task of selecting this year’s winners.

After an outstanding set of performances, the judges crowned:

• 1st Place – Luiz Ferreira, a former Bolton St Catherine’s Academy pupil

• 2nd Place – Niamh Seymour, a former Fred Longworth High School pupil

• 3rd Place – Aimee Gaskell, a former Mount St Joseph RC High School pupil

A huge congratulations goes to Luiz, Niamh and Aimee, and to every student who took part. The standard of work this year was exceptional, and the atmosphere reflected the pride and passion of our creative community.

After being crowned first place by the panel of judges, 17 year old Luiz Ferreira said:

“I am super grateful to have won this competition, the ability to inspire movement and create change through my words is something I will continue to strive to do within my future. The opportunity to have shared the stage with such talented and creative pupils who all worked extremely hard in their poems was a blessing, as each person there had a story to tell and an impact to make. I hope each one of us can continue to use the gift of our voice to spread awareness, as that is a blessing not everyone has”.

Javan Dawson, Progress Coach and B6 Rich Coordinator, said:

“The event has been fantastic. Each year our students continue to raise the bar, and I have every confidence that, if they choose to, they would excel at spoken word events in the wider community. The level of support for these events is outstanding. I would like to extend sincere thanks to Mr Simon Christian and Andrew Howard for representing staff with such heartfelt performances. Finally, it was wonderful to welcome back our alumni judges, who were exceptional. It is always a pleasure to reconnect with former B6 students and see the success they are achieving. I am already looking forward to the B6 Poetry Slam 2027.”

For those who missed the live event, the full Poetry Slam will soon be available to listen to as the next episode of The B6 Rich Podcast on Spotify, ensuring the performances can be enjoyed again and again.

The Sixth Form Bolton is incredibly proud of all students involved and looks forward to continuing to celebrate creativity, expression and the power of spoken word.