Nigerian-American poet Nikhe Braimah has been announced as the winner of the 2025 Adroit Prize for Poetry for his poem Still Life With Roses.
The annual prize, presented by The Adroit Journal, recognizes exceptional work by emerging student writers across the globe in both poetry and prose categories.
This year’s poetry category was judged by poet Danez Smith, author of Homie and Don’t Call Us Dead, while the prose category was judged by Aria Aber, poet and novelist known for Good Girl. The 2025 Adroit Prize for Prose went to Annie Zhu, a high-school student from Texas, for her piece Saltless.
Braimah, a Nigerian-American poet based in New York City and originally from California’s Bay Area, is a graduate of Yale University. His work has previously appeared in the Yale Literary Magazine.
Founded in 2010 by poet Peter LaBerge, The Adroit Journal has gained a reputation for discovering emerging literary voices, with many past contributors later appearing in leading publications such as The New Yorker and The Atlantic.
For more information about the 2025 Adroit Prizes, click here.
Congratulations, Nikhe Braimah!
Bakare Oluwatobiloba
I write to educate, motivate and define history with literature. Just being me!
