Words Rhymes & Rhythm is delighted to unveil the distinguished panel of judges for the 2023 Eriata Oribhabor Poetry Prize (EOPP). Renowned poets with remarkable literary backgrounds, Jide Badmus, Adedayo Agarau, and Chika Jones, will evaluate the submissions received during the competition period, which ran from September 19 to October 29, 2023.
EOPP: A Call for Inspired Voices
The EOPP seeks to amplify the voices of Nigerian poets and literature enthusiasts worldwide. This year’s edition focuses on the themes of Unity, Truth, Justice, and Change, encouraging poets to explore these critical aspects of Nigerian society. With a grand prize of ₦100,000, the EOPP is an exceptional platform for poets to showcase their talent and contribute to the broader conversation on national development.
EOPP: A Call for Inspired Voices
JIDE BADMUS is an engineer and a poet inspired by beauty and destruction; he believes that things in ruins were once beautiful. He is the author of four books including Obaluaye (FlowerSong Press, 2022) and What Do I Call My Love for Your Body (Roaring Lion Newcastle, 2022). Badmus has curated and edited several anthologies, and his poems have appeared in Agbowo, The Muse, Maroko, Kreative Diadem, Jalada Africa, No Tokens, Afrocritik, Black Bough Poetry Anthology and elsewhere. Badmus is the founder of INKspiredng, a Poetry Editor for CỌ́N-SCÌÒ Magazine, and a mentor in the SprinNG Fellowship. He also sits on the board of advisors for Libretto Magazine. Jide writes from Lagos, Nigeria.
ADEDAYO AGARAU is a Wallace Stegner Fellow at Stanford University, Cave Canem Fellow, 2022 Robert Hayden Scholarship fellow and a recipient of the 2022 Stanley Awards for International Research at the University of Iowa. He obtained his MFA at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop ’23. His poems have been featured in Poetry Magazine, Poetry Society of America, World Literature Today, Tab Journal, Anomaly, Frontier, Iowa Review, Boulevard, and elsewhere. He is the author of the chapbooks, Origin of Names (African Poetry Book Fund) 2020, and The Arrival of Rain (Vegetarian Alcoholic Press). Adedayo is the Editor-in-Chief at Agbowó: An African magazine of literature and art.
CHIKA JONES is a performance poet and theatre critic who has poems published in Ink Sweat and Tears(UK), Damnation Lit(UK), and The Book Banque(Nigeria). He was part of the Homeward Academy Theatre Production Soul Food, which toured Medway, UK in 2022. In 2013, he won a National poetry slam ‘War of Words’ and has been on some of the biggest stages ever since. In 2014, he was a guest performer for the Wole Soyinka at 80 Cultural Exchange, and in that same year, he was selected to attend the Caine Prize Short Story workshop for the Port Harcourt Book Festival. Between 2015 and 2019 he performed poetry at the Lagos Book and Arts Festival, Lagos International Poetry Festival, and Ake Arts and Book Festival, and he was selected to attend the 2016 class of the Farafina creative writing workshop. In 2017, he performed as part of the poetry production ‘Finding Home’ which toured Berlin, Germany, and Lagos, Nigeria. In 2018, he performed his debut one-man play at the Lagos Theatre Festival.
Judging Criteria
The trio of judges will employ their extensive experience to evaluate submissions based on creativity, adherence to theme, and overall literary merit. They will meticulously assess each entry to determine the poems that best deploy the tools of poetry to capture the themes of Unity, Truth, Justice, and Change.
Prizes To Be Won
- ₦100,000 (First Prize: ₦50,000 cash, First Runner-up: ₦30,000 cash, Second Runner-up: ₦20,000 cash).
- The top 20 entries will be published in the 2023 EOPP anthology.
A Note About the Judging Process and Copyright
- The judges’ decisions are final, and no correspondence will be entered into regarding the outcome of the judging process.
- While the copyright of each submission remains with its author, the organizers retain the right to publish all entries in the annual EOPP anthology, on our website, or in our magazines, with full credit to the author.
Visit https://authorpedia.net/csr/eopp/ to read more about The Eriata Oribhabor Poetry Prize (EOPP) and its past winners. For inquiries, send an email to info@wrr.ng.
