FMU is having a “WRITING WITH PRIDE” Spoken Word contest on Thursday, February 26, 2026, from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. in the Nathan W. Collier Library. To participate, please enter your poem before 11:59 p.m. on Monday, February 19, 2026, and you can win a $200-$500 prize or 6 consolations per school.
How to enter the contest:
Students can submit a spoken word presentation on any topic of choice. If you are a student currently enrolled and can present a spoken word piece, submit the poem to QEP@fmuniv.edu NO LATER THAN Monday, February 19, 2026, at 11:59 p.m.
Competition:
The competition will occur on Thursday, February 26, 2026, from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. in the Nathan W. Collier Library. Students must perform their spoken word submission to QEP Committee judges and guests. Students must present their original poems and will be judged according to their presentation. (Music can be incorporated into the performance and must be submitted before the day of the competition.)
What to submit:
To be eligible to perform in the competition, the poem may not refer to any of the following: weapons/guns; offensive language and/or gestures; drugs or drug paraphernalia; mutilations; depictions offensive to ethnic, minority, or religious groups; child abuse; violence; animal cruelty; bodily functions; venereal diseases; physical handicaps; cadavers; rape or molestations; lavatory or lavatory jokes; nudity; threats to national security; defamation of character; any illegal, indecent, or obscene activity.
FMU’s QEP Committee Judges will be the final judge for all content. Anything deemed indecent as judged by community standards will be disqualified.
Legal Stuff:
By entering, the winning entrant agrees that his/her name and photograph may be used by FMU for promotional purposes without further remuneration (unless the winning entrant chooses to remain anonymous).
The Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) is an important component of our accreditation process, as required by SACSCOC. The University must develop and implement a QEP every ten (10) years, and our current QEP is titled “Writing with Pride.”
The QEP “Writing with Pride” is Florida Memorial University’s commitment to enhancing instruction and experiences to improve student learning and academic success. Academic Quality and Student Success are two key principles of our “Ascension to Excellence” Strategic Plan – “Create a student-centric environment where everyone is responsible for student success, and students have rich learning and transformative experiences.”
Florida Memorial University’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), Writing with Pride, focuses on improving writing skills, establishing a writing culture, and improving student success.
FMU Writing with Pride has two coordinated phases:
The goal is to help students improve their written communication skills during the early stages of matriculation, which will enhance writing competencies in upper-level courses, graduate school, and career/workplace.
For more information: