Nigeria’s newest poetry competition has its first set of laureates. The Pius Oleghe Poetry and Literary Awards (POPALS) has announced the winners of its maiden edition, following a submission window that ran through June and a rigorous adjudication process by an independent judging panel. Miracle Uzoigwe won the Young Voices category, open to poets aged 12 to 17, while Goodness Aremu Adejare took the Emerging Poets category, for writers between 18 and 35. Each walks away with the full ₦1,000,000 grand prize for their category.

The competition, run under the theme “Nigeria of Our Dreams,” drew what the organizers described as an outstanding pool of entries from across the country, a response they say reaffirmed the depth of literary talent among Nigeria’s younger poets. Uzoigwe’s win in the Young Voices category was noted for its creativity, originality, and poetic craftsmanship, while Adejare’s Emerging Poets entry stood out for its artistic excellence and thoughtful engagement with the competition’s theme.

Beyond the two winners, the shortlisted poets will see their work preserved in the inaugural Pius Oleghe Poetry Prize Anthology, giving the competition’s first cohort a lasting record beyond the prize announcement itself. The award, launched earlier this year in honor of Pius Enahoro Oleghe, a Nigerian educator who spent more than four decades shaping young minds across the Western, Bendel, and Edo regions, was coordinated by Literary Directors Prof. Remi Raji, former President of the Association of Nigerian Authors, and playwright Nnamdi Okose, with judging handled by a panel that included Prof. Maria Ajima, Prof. Emmanuel Sule Egya, Prof. Chimalum Nwankwo, Dr. Deji Ige, and Prof. Chike Okoye.

In a joint statement, the Organising Committee thanked every entrant for making the inaugural competition a success, framing the strong turnout as proof that Nigeria continues to produce gifted poets deserving of wider recognition. With its first edition now behind it, POPALS says it remains committed to discovering and nurturing literary talent and creating platforms for emerging writers to reach audiences across Nigeria, Africa, and beyond, suggesting this debut edition, prize pool intact and anthology in the works, is meant to be the first of many.