We are receiving entries for the February / March 2021 edition of the BRIGITTE POIRSON POETRY CONTEST (BPPC). The theme is ‘WHAT WOULD YOUR ANCESTORS SAY?’.
This edition expects poems that poeticize our social realities from our ancestor’s perspectives: what would they say if they could experience the modern society, its new norms and cultures? Tell us in your submissions.
“We are words in a sentence our fathers began and our sons will finish.” — Massai saying
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.
PRIZES 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) 2021
- All top 20 poems will be published in the monthly BPPC chapbook
- All top 40 poems will be published in the annual BPPC 2021 anthology
DOWNLOAD THE 2020 ANTHOLOGY “A PANDEMIA OF POETRY” FOR FREE:
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 February-March 2021, ‘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, Facebook profile link [for identification] and a 50-100 word biography in the body of the e-mail
Deadline: 11:59 PM Sunday, February 28, 2021.
NOTE THAT:
- No entry fee is 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 featured in the anthology
- Entrants are not allowed to submit poems by proxy as it would lead to disqualification
The overall best entry from February to September 2021 editions will be awarded the Albert Jungers Poetry Prize (AJPP). Oladimeji Adam Adedayo won the prize in 2020.
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. The BPPC is one of Nigeria’s most popular, especially among the younger poets.
