The poetry slam is open to "people 18 years and older who navigate the world as and/or identify as womxn".
[1] In 2008, the Women of the World Poetry Slam (WoWPS) was introduced, in which only female and female-identified poets are allowed to compete.
For 2025, the organizers stated that WOWPS would be "taking a break for radical rest and reflection".
At the conclusion of each mini-bout, the poet will receive a ranking of 1-6 based on placement within competition groups.
After the preliminary bouts are completed, the poets with the highest scores and ranks advance to the finals.
These 4 poets will each read 1 more poem, and the high score of that round is the Women of the World Poetry Slam Champion.
If there is a tie between the top 2 poets, they read 1 more poem in a sudden death match, or they agree to share the title.