The Arole Agarawu Foundation has opened submissions for the inaugural Alhaji Arole Agarawu African Poetry Prize, inviting poets of African descent worldwide to submit original, unpublished poetry.
The prize is established in memory of Alhaji Arole Agarawu (1930s–1995), whose work contributed significantly to Yoruba musical traditions such as Sakara, Apala, and Waka. Through the prize, the Foundation seeks to recognize poets who demonstrate strong attention to form, language, and rhythm while continuing the tradition of African lyric expression.
Two awards will be presented from a shortlist of ten poets. The Alhaji Arole Agarawu African Poetry Prize carries a cash award of $1,000 and is open to any eligible poet of African descent living anywhere in the world. The Arole Grayling Wraith Prize, also valued at $1,000, will be awarded to a poet residing on the African continent and includes the production of a video performance of a selected poem through the prize’s media partner, Grayling and Wraith.
Submission Guidelines:
- Eligibility is open to poets of African descent aged 18 or older. However, poets who have published more than two full-length poetry collections are not eligible to apply.
- Entrants are required to submit a packet of ten original, unpublished poems written in English or accompanied by an English translation.
- Submissions must not exceed 15 pages and should be formatted as a Word document (.doc or .docx) or PDF file.
- All manuscripts must be anonymous, with no identifying information included in the document.
- Only human-created works are accepted; AI-generated submissions will be disqualified.
- Email submissions will not be accepted.
- To submit your entry, click here.
The submission window closes May 31, 2026, at 11:59 PM EST.
Best of luck to all applicants!
