Entries open for this year's poetry competition

16:53 - 26 July 2016

Words Rhymes & Rhythm Publishers (WRR Ltd) and Something for Everybody Ventures (SFEV) have announced the call for entries to the 2016 edition of the annual Eriata Oribhabor Poetry Prize (EOPP).

The Prize, which started in 2012, is in its fifth year. Participating poets must be Nigerians resident in any part of the world.

In a press release sent to Pulse, the Chief Executive Officer, Words Rhymes & Rhythm, Kukogho Iruesiri Samson, said the prize is dedicated to promoting literary excellence in Nigeria.

“The underlying idea of this Prize is to engage Nigerian young poets creatively, thereby empowering them to develop their creativity towards literary excellence,” he said.

A total of N80,000 cash will be awarded to the winners – N50,000 for the Winner, N20,000 for the First Runner-up and N10,000 for the Second Runner-up, he revealed.

The Judging Panel for the EOPP 2016 will be chaired by prolific Nigerian poet and Chief Operating Officer of WRR, Kolade Olanrewaju Freedom, with French poet and promoter of African Poetry, Brigitte Poirson, and Nigerian poet and Sickle Cell awareness campaigner, Awodiya Funke, as members.

Speaking at the briefing, Prize Patron, Eriata Oribhabor, noted the uniqueness of the prize which is the singular poetry prize dedicated to young Nigerian poets.

“This prize was instituted because I realized that the aspect of getting youths engaged is very important. One of the best ways to keep the creative and educative tempo among the youths is by initiating literary activities. This has been the driving force for my passion for promotion of literature,” he said.

Past winners of the prize are Nwakanma Chika (2012), Madu Chisom Kingdavid (2013), Darlington Ekene Ogugua (2014), Ajise Vincent (2015).

See below for more information about the prize and the list of entry criteria:

Contestants are invited to submit a maximum of two (2) poems on the above theme.

All submissions should be made via email as BODY of mail to submissions@wrr.ng with the subject: ‘ERIATA ORIBHABOR POETRY PRIZE 2016’. Note that ATTACHMENTS are not allowed.

All entries must be the original work of the poet submitting it.

There’s no limit to the number lines of any poem.

Authors must add their full names and a biography (100 words maximum) in the body of the e-mail inclusive of full name, email address, and phone number(s).