The winner of the August-September 2022 edition of the bi-monthly Brigitte Poirson Poetry Contest (BPPC) is Osieka Osinimu Alao. Osieka, who was the 2nd Runner-Up in the June-July 2022 edition of the Prize, emerged in first place for his poem ‘Orchestras of Revolution’.
The winning poem is defiant and near-prophetic social commentary in verse. It examines the Nigerian political experience and concludes with a prophetic declaration that is reminiscent of the current wave of political enlightenment sweeping through the country. Placards of Our Tears by Osho Tunde and How Do We Change Black To White by Favour Orlando are first-runner-up and second-runner-up respectively.
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 ‘ORCHESTRAS OF REVOLUTION’.
WINNERS’ PROFILES
Osieka Osinimu Alao is a writer from Nigeria. His works have appeared or forthcoming in Lumiere Review, Kreative Diadem, Arts Lounge Magazine, Nanty Greens, Requiem Magazine, and elsewhere. He is @osiekaosinimu on Twitter & Instagram. He was the 2nd Runner-Up in the June-July 2022 edition of the Brigitte Poirson Poetry Contest (BPPC).
Osho Tunde is a Lagos-based poet and Essayist. He won the Omoyele Sowore Prize at the 2021 International Human Rights Art Festival (IHRAF) essay competition and was a finalist in the Eriata Oribhabor Poetry Prize (EOPP) 2020). His works have appeared in Praxis, CỌ́N-SCÌÒ, The Quills and elsewhere.
Favour Orlando is a Nigerian writer, bibliophile, and inquisitive human. She is presently studying Microbiology at the University of Calabar, Calabar. Some of her works have been published by Writers Space Africa, an international literary magazine. She is a Christian and loves to sing in her spare time.
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.
