The Sande Poetry Prize is an annual literary award of ₦800,000, presented to three outstanding poems written by Nigerian poets. Now in its second edition, the Prize was launched in 2025 by Osadolor Osayande, alongside co-founders Itohan Osayande, Eseosa Osayande, Ameze Osayande, and Eghosa Osayande—siblings from a family
Growing up, like so many others, I turned to literature searching for clues on how to offer more meaning to my life. But for me, especially as an African eldest brother, the search was more personal. I hounded for stories on brotherhood that could teach me about love, sacrifice, duty,
🥇 WINNER EXPERIMENT 12: THE THEORY OF SMALL GIRLS (Department of Endurance Studies, 2025) by Nosawema Emmanuella Ogboghodo Judges’ Remark This poem claimed first place for its imaginative risk and innovative form. The poet likens the injustice that happens to the bodies of young females to an experiment undertaken in a
Note From The Judges We are pleased to announce the shortlist for the Sande Poetry Prize, selected from an exceptional longlist of 30 poems. After careful reading and deliberation, 15 poems have been shortlisted. These poems were selected based on their strength of voice, imaginative risk, technical control, emotional intelligence,
Note From The Judges Selecting this longlist was both an honour and an immense challenge. For this year’s Sande Poetry Prize, we received over 2,000 poems, each carrying its own spark, its own voice, and its own emotional weight. Narrowing that remarkable body of work down to just
The Sande Poetry Prize is an annual literary award of ₦800,000, presented to three outstanding poems written by Nigerian poets. Launched in 2025, the Prize is founded by Osadolor Osayande, Itohan Osayande (co-founder), Eseosa Osayande (co-founder), Ameze Osayande (co-founder), and Eghosa Osayande (co-founder)—siblings from a family deeply rooted
The Sande Poetry Prize is an annual literary award of ₦800,000, presented to three outstanding poems written by Nigerian poets. Launched in 2025, the Prize is founded by Osadolor Osayande, Itohan Osayande (co-founder), Eseosa Osayande (co-founder), Ameze Osayande (co-founder), and Eghosa Osayande (co-founder)—siblings from a family deeply rooted