A powerful opportunity is opening for poets, spoken word artists and human rights advocates across Africa to turn their creativity into a voice for justice, equality and positive change.
The African Secretariat of the International Human Rights Art Festival has announced the fourth edition of the African Human Rights Spoken Words Contest, inviting passionate individuals across the continent to use poetry to address pressing social challenges and inspire a brighter future.
In an exciting development, the submission deadline has been extended to October 31, 2026, giving aspiring participants additional time to prepare their entries. The winners are expected to be announced by December 1, 2026.
The competition offers participants an opportunity to transform their ideas into powerful artistic expressions that can reach audiences beyond their immediate communities. Entrants are required to submit a captivating one-minute video featuring an original poem written and passionately recited by them. Each submission must reflect the essence of human rights and demonstrate how spoken language can promote awareness, encourage meaningful conversations and inspire action across Africa.
Participants are encouraged to explore important issues such as social justice, climate change, women’s empowerment, immigration, human trafficking, police brutality and violence against women. Through these themes, the organisers hope to amplify voices that are frequently overlooked and encourage greater public engagement with the challenges affecting vulnerable communities.
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Beyond the opportunity to showcase their talents, contestants stand a chance to receive cash prizes. The first-place winner will receive $100, the second-place winner $75, and the third-place winner $50. Five additional participants will receive honourable mentions.
The excitement does not end with the prizes. Selected winning works will be showcased at the International Human Rights Art Festival in New York City, where they will be projected before one of the festival’s performance blocks in the city’s East Village. This offers successful entrants an opportunity to have their creative messages presented to an international audience.
All entrants will receive certificates of participation, while shortlisted contestants will be awarded certificates of excellence.
Interested participants should email their one-minute video submissions to wole@humanrightsartmovement.org, copying ihrafafrica@humanrightsartmovement.org.
