Nigerian Students Poetry Prize 2022 for Undergraduates

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Entries are invited from Nigerian undergraduates studying in Nigeria and the diaspora for the 2022 edition of the Nigerian Students Poetry Prize (NSPP). The deadline for submission of entries is March 7, 2022.

Nigerian Students Poetry Prize (NSPP) 2022

Nigerian Students Poetry Prize (NSPP) is an initiative of Poets in Nigeria (PIN) aimed at stimulating literary creativity and encouraging critical thinking among Nigerian undergraduates. Since its inception in 2016 at the University of Ibadan, the prize has received about 3500 entries from students representing over 100 tertiary institutions (including universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, schools of nursing and seminary schools).

Reputed as the foremost poetry prize for Nigerian students, the NSPP has awarded 2 million Naira to winning entrants and published 541 poems authored by selected entrants in six anthologies: The Sun Will Rise Again (2016), Mixed History (2017), Deep Dreams (2018, Micah (2019), The House That Built Me (2020) and Portrait of Water (2021).

Notably, tertiary institutions such as the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Godfrey Okoye University, Enugu and Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island, Yenagoa hosted the NSPP Awards in 2017, 2018 and 2019 respectively. In 2021, the awards ceremony was held at the University of Ibadan, with a cash prize of N400,000 shared among the winning entrants.

Previous grand prize winners of the NSPP include Noah Oladele (Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife; 2016), Bakre Fadil Adedamola (University of Ibadan; 2017), Godstime Tamunofiri Iberiyenari (Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island, Yenagoa; 2018), Ogugua Micah Okoye (Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Enugu; 2019), Okwubi Godwin Adah (University of Benin; 2020) and Samuel A. Adeyemi (Federal University, Lokoja; 2021).

The seventh edition of the Nigerian Students Poetry Prize (NSPP) opens for submission between 15th January and 7th March, 2022. Taking note of the deadline, interested Nigerian undergraduates are expected to submit a 30-line poem on any theme of their choice.

Nigerian Students Poetry Prize (NSPP) Eligibility

Nigerian Students Poetry Prize (NSPP) Prizes

Aside from rewarding the prize winners with a total cash prize of ₦500,000, exceptional entrants will each receive a certificate of excellence and a complimentary copy of the NSPP anthology which features their works.

How to Submit Entries for the Nigerian Students Poetry Prize (NSPP)

For inquiries, contact the moderator – Phone: +2348130900109; Email: [email protected].

Submission Deadline: 7th March 2022

Olusegun Fapohunda