Phillip Chijioke Abonyi has won the February/March 2022 edition of the bi-monthly Brigitte Poirson Poetry Contest (BPPC). Abonyi, a writer and photographer, was awarded first place for ‘How a Poet Loves a Poem‘, a unique poem that romances a poem and its qualifying elements.
Emuobome Jemikalajah emerged 2nd Prize Winner for ‘Love Is Not a Seismic Event‘, while Akan Ruth finished in 3rd Place for ‘Kindred Spirit’. The other poets in the top 10 of the edition are Chinedu Gospel, Adéníran Abdbasit Adéyẹmí, Olowo Qudus Opeyemi, Blessing Omeiza Ojo, Enobong Ernest Enobong, Wisdom C. Nwoga, and Olalekan Daniel Kehinde.
BPPC awards ₦30,000 in prize money shared among the top three entries. The top 10 poems are also automatically entered for the annual Albert Jungers Poetry Prize (AJPP).
The TOP 20 poems of the edition are published in a chapbook titled ‘HOW A POET LOVES A POEM’.
WINNERS’ PROFILES
PHILIP CHIJIOKE ABONYI is a writer and photographer. He was shortlisted for the Eriata Oribhabor Poetry Prize (EOPP) 2018. His works have appeared & forthcoming in African Writer Magazine, Agape Review, Eve Magazine, Kalahari Review, The Rainbow Magazine, and elsewhere.
EMUOBOME JEMIKALAJAH is a medical practitioner and poet with published works in the WriteHouse Collective 2015 anthology, Phases: Poetry of People, the BPPC 2015 anthology, Wind of Change, and other print and digital publications. He describes himself as a “professional on weekdays, runner on free weekends, fine artist when on leave, poet all the time.”.
AKAN RUTH is a poet, painter, illustrator, art educator and freelance artist. Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Akan became fascinated by poetry and art as an introverted child and proceeded to study Fine and Applied Arts at the University of Benin, graduating in 2021. She currently resides in Benin.
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, and 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.
