A national poetry competition has been announced to commemorate the 70th birthday of Dr. Wale Okediran, former President of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) and current Secretary-General of the Pan African Writers Association (PAWA).
The competition, targeting young and emerging writers aged 25 or younger, offers prizes totalling ₦100,000, with the first-place winner receiving ₦50,000. Second and third-place winners will receive ₦30,000 and ₦20,000 respectively.
According to Wole Adedoyin, the competition’s coordinator, submissions should be in English and may be in free verse or stanza format, with a maximum of 20 lines. All entries must be submitted via email by February 28, 2025.
A distinguished panel of judges has been assembled for the competition, led by Prof. Mabel Evwierhoma from the University of Abuja’s Department of Theatre Arts. Other jury members include published poet Khalid Imam and screenwriter Akudo Nkemjika Okeke.
Beyond the monetary prizes, the competition will recognise ten honourable mentions, and all participants will receive certificates. The organisers also plan to publish the top 20 entries as an e-book to document the competition’s contribution to Nigerian literature.
The initiative celebrates Dr. Okediran’s contributions to Nigerian literature and aims to encourage young voices in poetry.
Interested poets can submit their entries to waleokediranpoetrycompetition@gmail.com.
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