Two young Nigerians, Uzoigwe Miracle and Aremu Goodness Adejare, have emerged winners of the maiden edition of the Pius Oleghe Poetry and Literary Awards (POPALS).

While Nzoigwe Miracle won in the Young Voices (12–17 years) category, Aremu Goodness Adejare was victorious in the Emerging Poets (18–35 years) category.

Each category won a Grand Prize of ₦1,000,000, alongside publication opportunities, certificates of recognition, mentorship opportunities, and literary exposure.

Their emergence followed “a rigorous adjudication process conducted by an independent panel of distinguished judges” who assessed over 145 entries that came from within and outside Nigeria.

The distinguished panel of judges comprised of Prof. Maria Ajima, Prof. Emmanuel Sule Egya, Prof. Chimalum Nwankwo, Dr. Deji Ige, and Prof. Chike Okoye.

The competition was coordinated by award-winning poet, scholar, and former President of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Prof. Remi Raji and award-winning playwright Nnamdi Okose, who served as literary directors

According to a release signed by the literary directors, Professor Remi Raji and Nnamdi Okose, “the inaugural competition attracted outstanding entries from across Nigeria under the theme “Nigeria of Our Dreams.”

The release added that “the quality of submissions demonstrated the depth of literary talent among emerging and young Nigerian poets and reaffirmed the enduring power of poetry as a vehicle for imagination, hope, and national reflection”.

“After careful deliberation, the judges have selected the following winners: Category A – Young Voices (12–17 years)Winner: Uzoigwe Miracle. Uzoigwe Miracle emerged as the winner in the Young Voices category, impressing the judges with exceptional creativity, originality, and poetic craftsmanship. Category B – Emerging Poets (18–35 years) Winner: Aremu Goodness Adejare. Aremu Goodness Adejare was selected as the winner in the Emerging Poets category in recognition of an outstanding poem distinguished by artistic excellence and thoughtful engagement with the competition theme.”

According to the duo, “the shortlisted poems will be featured in the inaugural Pius Oleghe Poetry Prize Anthology, preserving some of the finest works submitted to this historic first edition.

They expressed a profound appreciation to every entrant whose participation made the inaugural competition a success. The enthusiastic response to the prize confirms that Nigeria continues to produce gifted poets whose voices deserve recognition and encouragement.”

“As the Pius Oleghe Poetry Prize begins its journey, we remain committed to discovering, nurturing, and celebrating literary excellence while creating opportunities for emerging writers to share their work with wider audiences across Nigeria, Africa, and beyond.

The Organising Committee also expressed  its sincere gratitude to our panel of judges for their professionalism, diligence, and integrity throughout the adjudication process.” the noted.