Nigerian poet and author, Oladosu Michael Emerald, has been named the winner of the 2026 South Broadway Press Ponderosa Prize for Poetry for his manuscript Exi(s)t.
The Ponderosa Prize for Poetry, presented annually by South Broadway Press, is a literary award established to support and amplify the work of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color). The Prize is awarded to an outstanding full-length poetry manuscript, with the winner receiving publication by South Broadway Press and a $500 honorarium.
Describing the winning manuscript, Guest Judge Ahja Fox said:
“Exi(s)t reeled me in not only as a judge, but as an everyday reader. Everything is so succinct yet immediately understood. I appreciate that the lines in themselves are very complex with layers of information without me feeling like I have to necessarily reread it. The cohesion and thought put into nearly every aspect of the manuscript is apparent and very well executed. The pacing of the poems aids in this. Everything is concise and clear. In regards to manuscript readiness, it reads like it has passed through edits a number of times. All feels intentional, and I marked no egregious or outstanding errors in reading it. I finished this one feeling refreshed and excited for the poet who made it. I can picture it on a shelf and I can picture it with SBP in its corner.”
Oladosu Michael Emerald is a Nigerian writer, artist, photographer, and actor whose work spans poetry, fiction, cultural criticism, visual art, and journalism. He currently serves as an editor at Uncanny Magazine, Surging Tide, and Ugly Review. Michael studied Political Science at the University of Ibadan and graduated from the Mimaster Illustration Art School in 2024. He is the author of Every Little Thing That Moves (2024) and A Step Beyond Failure (2020).
For Michael, like his everyday mantra, “Art chose me before I existed,” he continues to work across literature and the arts, with an upcoming joint musical project with his brother scheduled for release in December 2026.
Congratulations, Oladosu Michael Emerald.
