By Charlotte H.
Teenagers are often presented as passive, alienated victims of digital media, but The Incandescent Review Spoken Word Contest, an online event launched February 17, is looking to change that.
The Incandescent Review is a literary magazine founded in 2020 by high school student Ariel Kim, who wanted to help creative teenagers connect during the Covid pandemic. That mission is still in place in 2025. According to Film and Spoken Word Editor Aarna Taygi, “Incandescent is all about helping young creatives around the world hear each other’s stories.”
Spoken word is an art form that blends poetry and performance, often focusing on personal themes such as social justice and mental health. According to Tyagi, these themes lead to human connection. “Spoken word is really special because it truly connects artists in a way that I don’t think other art forms can,” she says. “When Incandescent shares spoken word pieces, it’s a way to recognize people’s stories and, more than that, validate them.”
In 2024 ChiArts senior Dayna Garcia-Ruiz submitted her poem “The Land is of Those Who Work It” to the first Incandescent Review Spoken Word Contest. This work explores the poor treatment immigrants often experience in the United States, even though society relies on their hard work. She remembers that putting this piece out felt like a risk, saying, “My writing is such a huge extension of who I am, so it’s a pretty vulnerable thing to put it out into the world for it to be perceived.”
But this risk was rewarded when she won second place. “When I won I honestly couldn’t believe it,” she remembers. “My audience has always been my classmates and my teachers, so to have a wider audience that actually liked my writing gave me such a huge sense of accomplishment.”
Unlike many spoken word contests, Incandescent offers cash prizes: $200 for first place, $125 for second, and $75 for third. According to Garcia-Ruiz, “I’ve never won any money for my writing, so it felt very surreal!”
For the 2025 edition of the Spoken Word Contest, Incandescent is looking for a new batch of talent. Artists, who must be 19 or younger, should write an original piece and film themselves performing it from memory. Submissions are due April 1, and winners’ work will be shared on YouTube, Instagram, and Spotify.
Incandescent editor Tyagi sums up a good submission in one word: “Passion.” She adds, “I’m constantly excited to see and feel the bounds of spoken word poetry be defied.”
Past winner Garcia-Ruiz encourages writers to submit—and hopefully find some connection with other artists across the globe. “It’s such a beautiful thing to share your work,” she says. “And an even more beautiful thing to be able to move people with your words.”
For more information, visit http://www.theincandescentreview.org/film-spoken-word.
