Words Rhymes & Rhythm (WRR) is receiving entries for the May edition of the BRIGITTE POIRSON POETRY CONTEST (BPPC) SEASON III, 2017. This special edition is open only to FEMALE poets living in Africa.
The theme is ‘THE 21ST CENTURY WOMAN’.
“The 21st century woman is a rapidly changing one, one who is constantly breaking the mould of century held female gender stereotypes – personality traits, expecting women to be shy and gentle; domestic behaviors, expecting women to cook and do housework; occupational, expecting women to have caregiver jobs like teaching, nursing, assistants; and physical appearance, expecting women to be smaller and slender.
But, largely due to complex social movements, attitudes regarding the role of women in the household and larger society have shifted and are still shifting. We see a change in the role of women in politics and a sharp rise in dual-income and single parent households. Social norms about how females should think, speak, dress, and interact within the context of society, have been broken down.
While this is generally seen as positive social change, many women find that they have a lot of self reengineering to do in order to fit into the 21st century society that is still largely patriarchal. For the African woman in particular, social resistance means she has to do even much more to be a fully functional 21st century woman.”
It is this theme that we invite our female poets to explore in this special May edition of the BPPC. Entries will be received until 11:59 PM TUESDAY MAY 30, 2017.
Prize to be won:
- The winning poem will be awarded a cash prize of N7000 and a copy of the BPPC 2017 anthology
- All top 10 poems will be automatically entered for the Albert Jungers Poetry Prize (AJPP) 2017
- All top 10 poems will be published in the annual BPPC 2017 anthology
- All top 10 poets will receive a free copy of the BPPC 2017 anthology
- Authors of the top ten poems will also be awarded a certificate each
Guidelines:
- Contestants are invited to submit one poem on the theme ‘THE 21ST CENTURY WOMAN’’ (expanded to include the following sub-themes – feminism, family, gender, gender roles, patriarchy, self, single motherhood, suicide, marriage, etc)
- Submissions should be sent to SUBMISSIONS@WRR.NG
- All entries must be the original work of the poet submitting it
- No ATTACHMENTS. Please submit poem and other details as body of mail
- The CONTESTANT NAME, CONTEST MONTH, & POEM TITLE must be mentioned clearly, as the subject of the e-mail. For example: ‘Abubakar Nnamdi Adekunle, BPPC March 2017, ‘THE MAKING OF ME’
- The maximum length of the poem should be 28 lines (plus the title). Poems exceeding this length will be disqualified
- Authors must provide their full names and Facebook ID [for identification]and a 50-100 word biography in the body of the e-mail
- Submission deadline is 11:59 PM TUESDAY MAY 30, 2017.
Note that:
- Poems containing profanity, racism or vulgarity will be automatically disqualified
- The poems will be judged based on their artistic quality and creativity
- The judges’ decision is final and under no circumstances will they enter into any correspondence with entrants regarding their decisions
- The copyright of each submission remains with its owner but we retain the right to publish ALL and ANY entry in the annual BPPC anthology
- Poets resident in any part of the world are eligible
- No entry fee required
- Past winners may enter for the competition, but a poet can only one once in a calendar year (Season). If a past winner makes the TOP 10, the poems will ONLY be awarded a certificate and be featured in the anthology.
Kolawole Samuel Adebayo, an Agricultural Extension and Communication Technology student at the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State, won the April 2017 edition with his poem ‘death is a deliverance’.
The BRIGITTE POIRSON POETRY CONTEST (BPPC), a brainchild of Words Rhymes & Rhythm (WRR), is a monthly writing contest aimed at rewarding the under-appreciated talent of young Nigerian poets. It was instituted in February 2015 in honor of Brigitte Poirson, a French poet and lecturer, editor, who has over the years worked assiduously to promote and support of African poetry. Now in its third season, and being one of the few credible contests, the BPPC has since grown to be one of country’s most popular, especially among the younger poets.
The overall winner of the SEASON III (February to September 2017) will be awarded the Albert Jungers Poetry Prize (AJPP) 2017. Kanyinsola Olorunnisola won the prize in 2016.
Announcer:
Kukogho Iruesiri Samson
CEO/Publisher WORDS RHYMES & RHYTHM LTD
+234(0)8060109295
kukogho.samson@gmail.com
