Words Rhymes & Rhythm Publishers is receiving entries for the April-May 2020 edition of the BRIGITTE POIRSON POETRY CONTEST (BPPC). This edition’s theme is ‘COVID-19’, in line with the current realities of our time.
Many poets have manifested the need to poetically settle their scores with the current crown plague that is wreaking havoc all over the world. The corona virus threatens the lives of many people, since no cure or vaccine exists to date and the number of deaths is beyond control, and it has sentenced humans to planetary confinement.
Covid20 – isn’t it spreading its curse over double 20 with predictable consequences in the long term? – knows no borders. Neither do poets, whose words cannot be caged. Especially not when we are quarantined.
We, therefore, invite you to express your sideration, anger, fears, revolt ( avoid plot theories), and evoke the consequences, whether dire or positive. Can the experience be an effective remedy against our errors? Promote societal change? Change our viewpoint on existence and the place and role of humans on earth? Prove your poetic pen is stronger than the pest.
Remember that poetry is about inspiration. It is also an art. Use carefully edited lines and nicely original stylistic devices to express the best of your poetic heart for the sake of sharing great poetry. Be inspired!
Participants should note that Judges will consider ORIGINALITY, WORD ECONOMY, adherence to THEME, CREATIVITY in LANGUAGE and STYLE as well as the use of LITERARY DEVICES in the poems.
Prize to be won:
- There will be three winners: ₦15,000 (first prize), ₦10,000 (second prize) and ₦5,000 (third prize)
- All top 10 poems will be automatically entered for the Albert Jungers Poetry Prize (AJPP) 2020
- All top 20 poems will be published in the monthly BPPC chapbook
- All top 20 poems will be published in the annual BPPC 2020 anthology
Guidelines:
- Contestants are invited to submit one poem on the theme
- Submissions should be sent to SUBMISSIONS@WRR.NG
- All entries must be the original work of the poet submitting it
- No ATTACHMENTS. Please submit the poem and other details as the body of the 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 April-May 2020, ‘YOUR POEM’S TITLE’
- The maximum length of the poem should be 28 lines (plus the title). Non-compliance or using excessively long lines will lead to disqualification.
- Authors must provide their FULL NAMES and Facebook ID [for identification]and a 50-100 word biography in the body of the e-mail
Deadline: 11:59 PM Wednesday, April 29, 2020.
Note that:
- No entry fee required
- 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
- 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
- Entrants are not allowed to submit poems by proxy as it would lead to disqualification
The last edition of the BPPC (February/March 2020) was won by Ibe Obasiota Ben, Oladimeji Adam Adedayo, and Ogedengbe Tolu Impact.
The best entry of the season (February 2020 to September 2020) will be awarded the Albert Jungers Poetry Prize (AJPP) which was won by Emmanuel Faith in 2019.
The BRIGITTE POIRSON POETRY CONTEST is a writing contest aimed at rewarding the under-appreciated talent of young Nigerian poets. It was instituted in February 2015 in honour of Brigitte Poirson, a French poet and lecturer, editor, who has over the years worked assiduously to promote and support African poetry. Now in its 5th season as one of the few credible contests in Nigeria, the BPPC has become one of country’s most popular, especially among the younger poets.
