Don Esteban is crowned national champion in the Rhineland-Palatinate Poetry Slam!

Don Esteban is crowned national champion in the Rhineland-Palatinate Poetry Slam!

On Saturday evening, June 30, 2025, the new state champion in the Poetry Slam of Rhineland-Palatinate was crowned at the Universum Theater Landau. Don Esteban prevailed against 16 other participants in an exciting final and convinced the jury with his impressive text “My constant companion”. In this work he metaphorizes depression as a black dog, which left a deep impression on the listeners. The event was the highlight of the two-day state finals, which began on Friday with two semi-finals at the Rhineland-Palatinate Technical University of Kaiserslautern-Landau (RPTU).

The RPTU is actively committed to cultural education and social discourse through its Center for Cultural and Knowledge Dialogue (ZKW). In addition to Don Esteban, other talented slammers also performed who represent the diversity and creativity of the Rhineland-Palatinate poetry slam scene. The national championships were organized by Anja Ohmer, Anuraj Sri Rajarajendran and Markus Becherer, with moderation by Anna Lisa Tuczek and Anuraj Sri Rajarajendran in the semi-finals and Markus Becherer in the final.

Diverse talents and topics

The winner Don Esteban, who comes from near Bitburg and has artistic roots in Trier, is not only a talented slammer, but also active as a painter and musician. He leads workshops for young people and advocates for the destigmatization of mental illnesses. With his victory, he not only secured the title, but also qualification for the German-speaking Poetry Slam Championships 2025.

The state final is an integral part of the lively poetry slam scene in Rhineland-Palatinate, which is characterized by a variety of formats. Events such as the poetry slam “PoetryKUS” recently took place in the Kusel cultural center Kinett, planned for March 31, 2026. Various exciting contributions from artists such as Wehwalt Koslovsky, Aileen Schneider and Phriedrich Chiller are also presented here, which cover topics ranging from social relevance to personal experiences.

• Wehwalt Koslovsky: Weltmeister 2000 in Rotterdam, international aktiv.
• Aileen Schneider: Opernregisseurin, Hessenmeisterin 2022, Rheinland-Pfalz-Vizemeisterin 2024 und thematisiert gesellschaftskritische Inhalte.
• Phriedrich Chiller: Slam-Moderator und zweifacher Rheinland-Pfalz-Meister im Poetry Slam.
• Isabel Seemann: Thematisiert Mental Health und innere Kämpfe.
• Aktivitäten von Don Esteban: Setzt sich für Entstigmatisierung psychischer Erkrankungen ein.
• Mikk Stern: Thematisiert soziale Gerechtigkeit und Umwelt.
• Jana Esser: Thematisiert Alltagspeinlichkeiten und Gesellschaftskritik.
• Dennis Wiebe: Vereint Humor und Haltung in seinen Texten.

The next Rhineland-Palatinate state championships are planned for May 28th to 30th, 2026 in Kaiserslautern. This event will once again bring together the region's best talent and further promote the dynamic art form of the poetry slam.

The renowned Rhineland-Palatinate poetry slam scene is also part of the global movement that began in Chicago in 1986. In 2016, the German-language poetry slams were included in UNESCO's nationwide list of intangible cultural heritage, which underlines the importance and creativity of this art form. Numerous slam formats and events, including reading stages and comedy slams, are spread across the cities of Rhineland-Palatinate and show the versatility and broad appeal of the poetry slam.

For further information on events and slam formats in Rhineland-Palatinate, visit the website slamtermine.de be visited. In addition, attention is drawn to the promotion of this creative form of expression by the RPTU and various foundations that enrich cultural life in the region.