JUDGES: NIGERIAN NEWSDIRECT CHAPBOOK AWARDS 2024
We are pleased to announce the judges of the 2024 edition of NIGERIAN NEWSDIRECT CHAPBOOK AWARDS are
- I.S. Jones is an American / Nigerian poet and essayist. Her works have appeared or are forthcoming in Guernica, Washington Square Review, LA Review of Books, Prairie Schooner and elsewhere. She is currently an instructor with Brooklyn Poets and the 2023 Bread Loaf Rona Jaffe Scholar in poetry. She is the 2024 Artist-In-Resident as Northwestern University with the Black Arts Consortium. Her chapbook Spells of My Name (2021) is out with Newfound. Currently, she serves as a Senior Editor of Poetry Northwest, where her column “The Legacy Suite”, a 3-part interview series celebrating debut poets, resides. I.S. is at work on her debut collection of poems.
- Michael Imossan is a poet, playwright and editor of Ibibio origin. He is the author of the award-winning Chapbook “For the Love of Country and Memory” as well as the pamphlet “A Prelude to Caving.” His full length manuscript “Broken in Three places” was named semifinalist for the Sillerman first book prize for African Poetry, 2023. His full length manuscript “All that Refuses to Die” was named winner of the Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poetry, 2024. He is a recipient of the PEN INTERNATIONAL writer’s grant.
The NIGERIAN NEWSDIRECT CHAPBOOK AWARDS is an initiative of Poetry Column-NND that seeks to promote the voices of Nigerian poets, as the column does weekly in our newspaper. We hope to prioritise consistency of the award, and in so doing, document the vibrant work being put out by contemporary Nigerian poets.
Two selected poets will each win:
- N25,000
- Digital Chapbook published by Poetry Column-NND
Submission Window: July 15 – October 15, 2024
GUIDELINES:
- Eligibility: Nigerian
- Submit 30 pages worth of a poetry manuscript, including table of contents.
- Send manuscript in .doc or .docx format manuscript should be in single line spacing, 12pt. Times New Roman or any other standard font (preferably Garamond).
- No name should be on the manuscript as we intend to read anonymously (we will contact you via email if your manuscript is selected as one of the two winners).
- Include a cover page with the title of the manuscript and email address.
- Manuscripts must be original works of the entrants
- Some poems in the manuscript may have been published, but the manuscript as a whole must be previously unpublished
- Must not have previously published any chapbook or full-length poetry manuscript or contracted for one within 2024 – 2025.
- Include a bio not more than 100 words in the BODY OF THE EMAIL.
- Plagiarism and use of AI will not be tolerated.
- Works promoting bigotry of all kinds will be rejected
- Contact details (email address and phone number) of the author should be in the body of the mail and forwarded alongside the cover letter and manuscript to [email protected]
TERMS
- Only manuscripts which meet our standards will be considered for publication.
- Selected manuscripts will be published on our site – www.nigeriannewsdirect.com for free download
- Authors retain copyrights to their work, but give us the sole rights to electronically distribute same.
- Authors of selected manuscripts will receive an honorarium of N25,000 each. We know this is not enough compensation for your beautiful manuscript however that is what we can offer for now. We hope to do more and will make an announcement, if made possible, by any kind sponsor or donors.
- We will promote our authors with every means necessary—varying from reviews of the collection, promotion, virtual readings.
- Two Judges will select winning manuscripts, as well as, two other finalists for the prize.
CO-ORDINATOR,
NEWSDIRECT CHAPBOOK SERIES
MICHAEL IMOSSAN
