Felis Catus Press has announced the inaugural Osundare-Ipadeola Poetry Book Prize, a new literary award established to recognise excellence in full-length poetry manuscripts and honour Nigerian poets Professor Niyi Osundare and Sir Tade Ipadeola.
The prize is open to Nigerian poets living in Nigeria and abroad, as well as poets of other nationalities residing in Nigeria.
Submission Guidelines
- The prize is open to poets who are at least 18 years old and have published no more than three full-length poetry collections.
- Writers with four or more published collections are not eligible.
- Chapbooks do not count towards this limit, while self-published full-length collections do.
Manuscript Requirements
- Applicants are required to submit a complete poetry manuscript that has not previously been published as a book.
- Manuscripts must contain between 45 and 60 poems.
- The manuscript must run between 60 and 70 pages, including the title page, table of contents and acknowledgements page, where applicable.
- Each submission must include a title page and table of contents.
- An acknowledgements page must list poems that have previously appeared in journals, magazines, anthologies or online publications.
- Manuscripts must not contain the author’s name, contact details, biography or any other identifying information.
- Submissions should use 12-point Times New Roman, single spacing and one-inch margins. Poems requiring special formatting may depart from these specifications.
Information to include in the submission email
Applicants must provide the following information in their email:
- Full name, email address, and telephone number.
- Current location and full postal address.
- A short author biography of no more than 150 words.
- A brief note identifying where poems in the manuscript have previously appeared, where applicable.
Simultaneous submissions are accepted. However, writers whose manuscripts are accepted for publication elsewhere while under consideration must promptly notify the organisers and withdraw their entries by email.
The winning poet will receive ₦150,000 in prize money, which will be paid upon publication, a publishing contract with Felis Catus Press, 10 author’s copies, and royalties under the publishing agreement.
Submissions for the inaugural edition will open on December 15, 2026, and close on March 15, 2027. The winner is expected to be announced on June 15, 2027, with the winning collection scheduled for publication on August 15, 2027.
Interested poets can read the complete submission requirements and enter the competition through the Felis Catus Press website. Submissions can be sent to osundareipadeolaprize@gmail.com.
Best of luck to all applicants!
Sarah Adeyemo
Sarah Adeyemo is a poet, writer, editor, and spoken word artiste from Nigeria. She is a fellow of the SprinNG Writing Fellowship. Sarah has work published or forthcoming work in ANMLY Lit, D’Iit Review, The Fiery Scribe Review, Con-Scio Magazine, Sevhage Review, Okiti Literary, Synchronized Chaos Magazine, Pepper Coast Magazine, The Weeds Review, Akpata Magazine, The Shallow Tales Review, The Muse Journal, The Weganda Review, Everscribe Magazine, Afrillhill Press, TV-63 Magazine, Poems for Persons Interest, Northern Writers Forum Journal, Eboquills, Rinna Lit. Anthologies, and elsewhere. Her works have been shortlisted for the 2025 Labari Prize for Poetry and longlisted for the 2025 Eriata Oribhabor Poetry Prize. She serves as the Managing Editor at Words-Empire Magazine, a Poetry Editor at Yarnz Magazine, PFPOI, and a News & Feature writer at the Journal of African Youth Literature (JAY Lit). She was a writing resident of the Rongo Artist Residency in 2026 and is currently a writing resident at the Ebedi International Writers Residency. She is a member of The Swan Collective. A dramatic poet who tweets @sarahinkspires.
