In Omaha, we choose our IWPS poet by taking the top 2 finishers in October and the top 2 (who were not in the top 2 in October) in November and have them face off in a 4-person 7-round December slam with 3 3-minute, a 1-minute, a 2-minute, a 4-minute, and an improv 3-minute round where the 5 judges vote not 0-10 but 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th place for the round. Lowest score wins the round and gets 10 points. 2nd lowest score gets 2nd in the round and gets 4 points. Time penalties add 1 point to your round total for every 10 seconds past the deadline. If time goes 1 minute past the deadline, the poet places 5th in the round. This only affects in case of a tie where the poet's average place in each of the 7 rounds plays in. If THIS is a tie, it goes to a haiku deathmatch. If the winner cannot attend IWPS, the slot is passed to 2nd, then 3rd, then 4th place. If all 4 cannot attend, we do not send a poet.
To qualify for the NPS team, starting in 2007 the Team Finals will be in March where the top 3 finishers in October, November, January, and February qualify (note: no poet takes 2 slots: if the January winner wins in February, that slot passes to February's 4th place poet, etc.). Team Finals are 3 rounds and qualifiers all must provide text of their 3 qualifying poems, 2 of which they cannot use at Finals (meaning they will need 5 total poems to make the team). Scores are cumulative in March, top 5 make the team. Ties are broken by either a haiku deathmatch or a 1 poem duel (audience decides by applause which to have). On any team member dropping, the slot is offered to the next-highest placing poet from the team finals. Should that list be exhausted and we need another team member, there would be a special slamoff to determine whom.
Omaha has no current qualifier in place for WOW.
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