The Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) under the national leadership of Mr. Camillus Ukah has honoured late poet, Okeogu Oke, with an annual poetry prize category for teenagers in secondary schools. The association has called for entries for its 2020 Ikeogu Oke Poetry prize. This is the maiden edition of the prize. The prize is only open to senior secondary school students (SS1 to SS3) across Nigeria and has a cash prize of one hundred thousand naira.

The late poet, Ikeogu, died in 2018 after a protracted illness which became quite noticeable after he won the 2017 NLNG Prize for Literature, which came with a cash prize of N37 million. He won the prize with his masterpiece, The Heresiad. The poet was also popular for writing children literature as could be seen in one of his works on folklore, The Lion and the Monkey. Before his death, Ikeogu Oke was also a journalist and an active member of Association of Nigerian Authors.

The guidelines for Ikeogu Oke prize entry are as follow;

• The prize is open to only senior secondary school students (SS1 to SS3) across Nigeria. Participants will show evidence of institution and level of education.
• The best three (3) entries will receive prizes: 1st position (N100, 000 + books), 2nd position (N70, 000 + books), and 3rd position (N50, 000 + books).
• The following category of students are excluded: (a) relatives of the sponsor, (b) relatives of the officers of ANA’s National Executive Council, (c) relatives of the officers of ANA’s state EXCOs, (d) and relatives of the members of the jury.
• The timeframe is as follows: Call for Entries (August 2020), Preliminary Stage of Competition (September 2020), Final Stage of Competition/Award Ceremony (October/November 2020).
• Stage 1: Each competitor will submit a single poem of 10 lines (typewritten, Times New Roman font 12), to [email protected], on or before Saturday, 12th September, 2020.Stage 2: To determine the originality of the best 5 entries, each competitor (in the best 5) will write a second poem under the supervision of a person appointed by the jury. The second set of poems will be judged to determine the winners.
• Each state chapter/branch of ANA will mobilize participation in its state. Contact ANA chapter in your state to submit entry.

Visit ANA website, www.ana-nigeria.com, to contact the ANA leadership in your state for the entry.

The Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) is the largest umbrella of Nigerian authors. The Association was founded on June 27, 1981, during a conference convened by late Professor Chinua Achebe. That maiden conference of Nigerian writers which held at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka was attended by notable personalities in Nigerian literature and two Kenyan writers, Ngugi Wa Thiongo and Gacheche Wauringi.

The association is open for new members. The key qualification for joining the association is for you to be an author of a literary work (poetry, drama prose, or documentary). You can join at the state level and also attend the association’s annual national convention which is often held every October. The convention avails members the opportunity to share ideas, rub minds together and find a way forward for an ordinary Nigerian author, to ensure the survival or literature in the Nigerian society. Get more details from the association’s website www.ana-nigeria.com.