CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: BRIGITTE POIRSON POETRY CONTEST 2018 [JUNE] ‘FIGHTING PERSONAL DEMONS’

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Words Rhymes & Rhythm Publishers invites poets from Nigeria, Africa and all over the world to enter their poems for the June 2018 edition of the BRIGITTE POIRSON POETRY CONTEST (BPPC) themed: ‘FIGHTING PERSONAL DEMONS’.

“We all face our demons, internal or external, personal or imaginary, monsters we strive or like to tame. In the same vein, every human has a good and bad side, the bad sides vary and could be recognized as one’s “Personal Demons”. — Brigitte Poirson

“Deep within us are various emotions that are always trying to supersede the others. When an individual is able to understand these emotions, good and bad, and keep them under control, then that person is on the path to figuring out and defeating his/her “personal demons”. — Kukogho Iruesiri Samson

Poetry is about inspiration. It is also an art. Remember to use carefully edited lines and nicely original stylistic devices. Do not focus on ‘measuring up to others’. Express the best of your poetic heart for the sake of sharing great poetry. Be inspired!

Participants should note that Judges will be focused on 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:

The winning poem will be awarded a cash prize of N8000, a certificate of award and a copy of the BPPC 2018 anthology
All top 10 poems will be automatically entered for the Albert Jungers Poetry Prize (AJPP) 2018
All top 10 poems will be published in the annual BPPC 2018 anthology
All top 10 poets will receive a free copy of the BPPC 2018 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 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 June 2018, ‘THE COUNTRY OF MY DREAM’
The maximum length of the poem should be 28 lines (plus the title). Poems exceeding this length, or having excessively long lines, 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 Friday June 29, 2018.

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.

The last edition of the BPPC (May 2018) was won by Alhassan Rabiu.

The overall winner of the BPPC 2018 (February to September 2018) will be awarded the Albert Jungers Poetry Prize (AJPP) 2018. Kanyinsola Olorunnisola won the prize in 2016 while Ogwiji Blessing emerged winner in 2017.

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 4th season, and being one of the few credible contests in Nigeria, the BPPC has become one of country’s most popular, especially among the younger poets.