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All Nigerian poets are invited to enter their poems for the March 2019 edition of the monthly BRIGITTE POIRSON POETRY CONTEST (BPPC). This month’s theme is: ‘RHYME FOR CHILDREN‘.
A child is not a vase to be filled, but a fire to be lit. –Montaigne 1533–92
In this month’s edition, we are looking for rhyming poems that celebrate children and all aspects of childhood – birth, growing up, views on parenting, years of innocence, sibling (rivalry), cultural dimensions, memories, pains, etc.
Let us have your thoughts in original poetic lines
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:
- The winning poem will be awarded a cash prize of N8000, a certificate of award and a copy of the BPPC 2019 anthology
- All top 10 poems will be automatically entered for the Albert Jungers Poetry Prize (AJPP) 2019
- All top 10 poems will be published in the annual BPPC 2019 anthology
- All top 10 poets will receive a free copy of the BPPC 2019 antholog
**In this season, top 30 poems will be selected and published as a monthly BPPC Anthology (e-book) that will be made available for download to all interested parties. [Get the February Chapbook ‘THE FEAT’ here].
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 March 2019, ‘MY VISION’
- 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 Thursday, March 29, 2019.
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 (September 2018) was won by Nwagbpo Bruno.
The overall winner of the BPPC 2019 (February to September 2019) will be awarded the Albert Jungers Poetry Prize (AJPP) 2019. Kanyinsola Olorunnisola won the prize in 2016 while Ogwiji Blessing emerged the winner in 2017 and Aire Joshua Omotayo won the 2018 edition.
Download a copy of THE FEAT, a chapbook of the top 30 entries of the BPPC February 2019 edition.
The BRIGITTE POIRSON POETRY CONTEST (BPPC) 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, editor, and lecturer, who has over the years worked assiduously to promote and support of 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.
For inquiries, send an email to info@wrr.ng
Please, under “Note that:” in number 7, “Past winners may enter . . . but a poet can only WIN (?) once. . . .”