The National Poetry Competition 2023 winners were announced on 25th March at Art Workers’ Guild, London, and while our African writers did not win, a good number of them were honoured with revered spots on the longlist.
The longlisted poets of African descent are Nicole Adabunu, Ayomide Bayowa, Tomi Adegbayibi, Diepreye, Oluwaseun Olayiwola, and Basil du Toit.
The Poetry Society is a membership organisation that aims to promote the study, use, and enjoyment of poetry. It was founded as the Poetry Recital Society in London in February 1909, with its name later changed to The Poetry Society in 1912. The society publishes Poetry Review, a poetry magazine. It also organises several poetry competitions, including the British National Poetry Competition, the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award, The Popescu Prize, The Ted Hughes Award for New Work in Poetry, and the Geoffrey Dearmer Award. Erstwhile, the society ran the Alice Hunt Bartlett Prize from 1986 to 1997.
The National Poetry Competition serves as a vital platform for celebrating the power of words and the enduring influence of poetry in shaping our collective human experience. We’re excited to have these amazing African poets among those honoured this year.
Congratulations to Nicole, Ayomide, Tomi, Diepreye, Oluwaseun, and Basil!
