Zakiyyah Dzukogi has emerged as the first-place winner of the APRIL / MAY 2021 edition of the bi-monthly Brigitte Poirson Poetry Contest (BPPC). The award-winning teenage author won the contest ahead of Ifunanya Juliet Ottih (2nd Prize Winner) and Hussani Abdulrahim (3rd Prize Winner). The April/May edition theme was ‘THE GLASS CEILING?’ focusing on women’s ‘glass ceiling’ experiences in modern society.
Dzukogi’s MAD COLOUR was selected as the overall winner for its simple but rich language, vivid imagery and creative exploration of the edition’s theme. ‘THE HEELS WILL CLIMB’ by Ottih and ‘THE GHOSTS OF SIX CHIBOK GIRLS MEET AT A BANQUET’ by serial finalist Hussani also provided fresh and unique perspectives on the theme.
The other poets in the top 10 of this edition are Zakiyyah Dzukogi, Ifunanya Juliet Ottih, Hussani Abdulrahim, Bayowa Ayomide, Testimony Akinkunmi, Akor Agada Nathaniel, Ogedengbe Tolulope Impact, Blessing Omeiza Ojo, Shitta Faruq Adémólá, Akinlua Mercy Oluwaseun. BPPC awards ₦30,000 in prize money to the top three entries.
The TOP 20 poems of the edition are published in a chapbook titled ‘WE BREAK INTO POEMS LIKE GLASS’.
WINNERS’ PROFILES
IFUNANYA JULIET OTTIH is a Nigerian writer, poet, storyteller, content creator, copywriter, public speaker and researcher. She has her works published in the Nigerian Students Poetry Prize (NSPP) 2020 Anthology, Kalahari review, Youth Magazine and was longlisted for the 2020 PIN Annual Food Poetry Contest. She is a 2018 finalist of the World Youth Essay Competition (WYEC).
HUSSANI ABDULRAHIM, a Pure Chemistry graduate from Usmanu Danfodio University Sokoto, is winner of the 2019 Poetically Written Prose Contest. A semi-finalist for Boston Review’s 2019 Aura Estrada Short Story Contest and shortlisted for 2019 ACT Award. His works have appeared at Boston Review, 20:35 Africa, praxismagonline, and elsewhere. He believes that words have the power to heal the world of its numerous ills.
ZAKIYYAH DZUKOGI is a published Nigerian writer. She authored her first book, My Book of Poems, aged 10. Zakiyyah is the winner of the Nigeria Prize for Teen Authors, Poetry 2021. Her 2021 poetry collection, CARVED, emerged 1st-runner-up at the maiden edition of the Prize in 2020 as a manuscript. Zakiyyah is a member of the Hill-Top Creative Arts Foundation and a certified accountability ambassador. She has works published or forthcoming in several Nigerian and international literary platforms and has featured on several literary panels.
IFUNANYA JULIET OTTIH is a Nigerian writer, poet, storyteller, content creator, copywriter, public speaker and researcher. She has her works published in the Nigerian Students Poetry Prize (NSPP) 2020 Anthology, Kalahari review, Youth Magazine and was longlisted for the 2020 PIN Annual Food Poetry Contest. She is a 2018 finalist of the World Youth Essay Competition (WYEC).
HUSSANI ABDULRAHIM, a Pure Chemistry graduate from Usmanu Danfodio University Sokoto, is the winner of the 2019 Poetically Written Prose Contest. A semi-finalist for Boston Review’s 2019 Aura Estrada Short Story Contest and shortlisted for the 2019 ACT Award. His works have appeared at Boston Review, 20:35 Africa, Praxis Magazine and elsewhere. He believes that words have the power to heal the world of its numerous ills.
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.
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