On January 15, 2023, Writers Space Africa hosted a unique flash poetry contest that brought together poetry enthusiasts and literary lovers from across Africa. Held via Google Meet and WhatsApp, the contest was moderated by Anthony Onugba, the founder and President of Writers Space Africa.
The judging panel, made up of Benny Wanjohi from Kenya (Chief Editor, PoeticAfrica Trilingual Magazine) and Omadang Yowasi from Uganda (Poetry Editor, WSA Literary Magazine), presented contestants with a poetry prompt; to write a Pantoum on any theme. The judges then evaluated their submissions based on creativity, brevity, and originality. The panel shortlisted twelve outstanding poems. These were:
- Tensed by Darling Angel (Nigeria)
- Boxed in Myself by Kayu Nwiyoh (Cameroon)
- Sorry by Comfort Naana Adwoa Okyere (Ghana)
- Misery by Lineo Tsakulane (Lesotho)
- That guy your guy by Ampuriire Nyakubaho (Uganda)
- Pantoum for Void by Adesiyan Oluwapelumi (Nigeria)
- Gods Rising by Amife Sabatina (Nigeria)
- Unseen Days by Udeme James (Nigeria)
- The Interpreter by Wanjira Kariuki (Kenya)
- Love, He Is by Zainab Raji (Nigeria/British resident)
- The Land of Kilimanjaro by Nahida Esmail (Tanzania)
- Shattered Glass by Elvis Nun (Rwanda)
After this, the audience voted to select the top three winners. After the voting, the following individuals emerged as winners of the contest: Ampuriire Nyakubaho from Uganda won first place with his entry “That Guy your Guy”, Zainab Raji, a Nigerian-British resident, won second place with her entry “Love, He Is”, and Darling Angel from Nigeria won third place with her entry “Tensed”. The first-place winner received a prize of $25, the second-place winner was awarded $15, and the third-place winner received $10.
With this successful event, Writers Space Africa looks forward to hosting another exciting poetry contest for poets on the African continent.
Read – Poets from Uganda, Nigeria, and Malawi emerge winners of WSA’s Boxing Day Spoken Word Concert
Congratulations to the winners. It was a battle of its kind.
Thank you so much for the opportunity 🙏😊
You are welcome.
It was a really unique competition. The suddenness, brevity and structure of picking the winners made it stand out.