Ojo Victoria Ilemobayo has been announced as the overall winner of the Wakaso Poetry Prize by the The Hill-Top Creative Arts Foundation with her poem, “The Weight Of A Thousand Strands”.
The Wakaso Prize, established in honor of Captain Mohammed Wakaso from Niger State, Nigeria, was founded by Mrs. Aisha Wakaso, a veteran journalist, child rights activist, girl-child promoter, matron of Niger youths, fearless public affairs commentator, and social crusader. Recognizing the importance of supporting the arts in Nigeria, she endowed a monthly online poetry prize of N20,000, starting in November 2019. The prize is administered by the Hill-Top Creative Arts Foundation (HCAF).
The final prize was judged by Dr. Saddiq Dzukogi, poet and teacher. From over ten poems picked by Dr. Ola Ifatimehin of the Bayero University, Kano, Victoria emerged as the winner, with Zara Ibrahim, Favour Orlando, and Pacella Chukwuma-Eke coming in with the first runner-up, second runner-up and third runner-up prizes respectively.
Ojo Victoria Ilemobayo is a Nigerian literary enthusiast and student. She is a dynamic poet, creative smartphone photographer, smart babysitter, video editor, and graphic designer. Her work can be found in Firebrand magazine, World Voices Magazine, Icreative Review, Christian Century, Eco Theo, Thema, A coup of owl, Christian Courier, Astrolabe, and Sledgehammer, among others. She won the MUSPA Prize in 2022, Lagos Hilltop Poetry Prize in 2021, and WGT3 Prize in 2023.
Congratulations, Victoria!
Bakare Oluwatobiloba
I write to educate, motivate and define history with literature. Just being me!
