Martins Deep, Jamiu Ahmed and Ojo Adewale Iyanda are the winners of the August-September 2020 edition of the bi-monthly Brigitte Poirson Poetry Contest (BPPC). The edition, which had an open theme, is the last for the 2020 season of the contest.
Martins Deep’s ‘TOWARDS A BEAUTIFUL BECOMING’ emerged overall winner, while ‘THE ART OF BURNING’ by Jamiu Ahmed and ‘WHERE DO DEAD DREAMS LIVE?‘ by Ojo Adewale Iyanda finished second and third respectively. The winning poets will be awarded a total of ₦30,000 cash prize — ₦15,000, ₦10,000, and ₦5,000 for the first, second and third places respectively.
The other poets in the top 10 of this edition are Oladimeji Adam Adedayo, Ayodele Ayooluwatomiwa Rachel, Sabur Adedokun, Ibikunle Aisha, Adeniran Joseph, Akor Agada Nathaniel, and Husani Abdulrahman.
The TOP 20 poems of the August/September edition are published in a chapbook titled ‘TOWARDS A BEAUTIFUL BECOMING’. It is available for free download.
WINNER’S PROFILES
MARTINS DEEP is a Nigerian poet, photographer and author of A Sheaf of Whispering Leaves, a poetry chapbook. He is passionate about documenting muffled stories of the African experience in his poetry & visual art. His works have appeared in several Nigerian and international literary platforms..
OJO ADEWALE IYANDA is a Nigerian poet and native of Oshogbo, Osun State. He studied Applied Chemistry at The Polytechnic Ibadan. His writings have appeared on several platforms.
UDE VIVIAN CHIDIMMA is a 24-years old Nigerian poet from Abia State. She is a graduate of English Language and Literature who loves poetry but writes mostly for her personal consumption. She resides in Imo State.
JAMIU AHMED is a Lagos based Nigerian writer and blogger. He has several works featured on digital literary platforms. His writings have also performed well in competitions organised by Poets in Nigeria (PIN) and Word Rhymes and Rhythm.
THE BPPC WILL RESUME IN FEBRUARY 2021
DOWNLOAD “TOWARDS A BEAUTIFUL BECOMING“ CHAPBOOK TO READ THE TOP 20 POEMS
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.
