Arts and Vibes

Theme Overview

This year, the Labari Prize for Poetry invites writers to reflect on the question “Who are we?” A call to explore the many layers of our shared and shifting identities as Northerners, Nigerians, and Africans living within a postcolonial reality.

In asking who we are, we look beyond the surface of nationality, tribe, or religion. We turn our gaze inward, toward the histories that shape us, the languages that hold our memories, and the contradictions that define our becoming. The theme calls for poems that wrestle with belonging and estrangement, with the weight of inherited names, and the beauty of our evolving selves.

We encourage poets to think of identity not as a fixed answer but as a living question. In this space, poetry becomes both mirror and bridge: reflecting who we have been, and imagining who we might yet become.

Meet the Judges

Our 2025 panel brings together poets, editors, and educators whose work shapes the contemporary literary landscape. Each judge offers a distinct perspective on the theme and the craft of poetry.

Hauwa Saleh Abubakar

Hauwa Saleh Abubakar is a Nigerian writer, poet and journalist. Her work has appeared in Lolwe, Ake Review, The Weight of Years: An Afroanthology of Creative Nonfiction, Agbowo , Punocracy and more. She has an upcoming poetry chapbook in the 2025 New Generation African Poetry Chapbook Series titled “Undone”

Hauwa is the founder of an organic tea brand Maimah’s Cup of Wonders and is currently a journalist with HumAngle Media. She considers herself an accidental lawyer and aims to make people feel something with her works.

Saddiq Dzukogi

Saddiq Dzukogi is the author of Your Crib, My Qibla, selected by Carolyn Forché as winner of the 2021 Derek Walcott Prize for Poetry and the 2022 Julie Suk Award. He was also a finalist for the 2022 Nigeria Prize for Literature. A recipient of numerous fellowships from the Nebraska Art Council, Mississippi Arts Commission, Cave Canem, PEN America, Obsidian Foundation UK, etc. His poetry is featured in various publications, including POETRY, Ploughshares, Kenyon Review, Poetry London, Guernica,Georgia Review, Gulf Coast, Cincinnati Review and Best American Experimental Writing, among others. His latest book is the epic poem, Bakandamiya: An Elegy (University of Nebraska Press, 2025). He lives in Lincoln Nebraska where he is an Assistant Professor of English.

Ridwan Fasasi, SWAN I

Ridwan Fasasi, SWAN I, is a Nigerian editor, writer, and art curator of Yoruba Descent. A Pushcart Prize and Best of the Nominee whose works have appeared on ANMLY Lit, Chestnut Review, Frontier Poetry, Euonia Review, Akpata, Lucent Dreaming, Strange Horizon, Hindsight Creative, among others. He is the winner of the 2024 Labari Prize for Poetry. His works have been shortlisted for the SprinNg Annual Poetry Contest, Gbemisola Adeoti Poetry Prize, Lucky Jefferson Poetry & Prose Contest, Splendor of Dawn Poetry Contest, SOBAF Poetry Slam, and also longlisted for the 2024 Akachi Prize for Literature. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief of Voaliterature, a reader at Anomalous Press, and works as a reviewer at D’lit Review. Find him on Twitter (sorry X) @Ibn_Yushau44.

Submission Guidelines

Eligibility:

Open to poets of Nigerian and African descent.
Submissions can be in English or Hausa.
Both emerging and established poets are encouraged to apply.

Submission Details:

Each poet may submit up to 1 poem.
Submissions must be original and unpublished. Works that have appeared in personal blogs or small publications are acceptable but must not have been submitted for other prizes.
Submit your poems in PDF or Word Document format. Each poem should be typed, double-spaced, and include the title (but not the poet’s name to ensure anonymity).

Theme:

The 2025 theme is Who are we? Poems must reflect or engage with the theme in creative and meaningful ways.

Submission Period:

Submissions open on 2nd November, 2025 and close on 15th December, 2025. Late entries will not be accepted.

How to Submit:

Submit your poem as a Word document or PDF to artsxvibes@gmail.com.
Use the subject line: “Labari Prize for Poetry 2025 – [Your Name]”.
Please do not include your name in the body of your work.
Include a brief biography in the body of your email.

Prize and Recognition

Prize: N250,000 (winner takes all)

Shortlisted poets will have their work featured on our website.

Judging Process

Submissions will be judged anonymously by a panel of esteemed poets and literary professionals:

Hauwa Saleh Abubakar
Saddiq Dzukogi
Ridwan Fasasi, SWAN I

Entries will be evaluated based on originality, thematic relevance, creativity, and technical excellence.

The judges’ decisions are final and binding.

Terms and Conditions

By submitting, the poet agrees that their work is original and not under consideration for any other prize during the submission period.
Copyright remains with the poet. However, Labari Prize reserves the right to publish winning and shortlisted poems in its official anthology, website, or promotional materials, with proper credit given to the poet.
Labari Prize is not responsible for plagiarism claims. Any work found to be plagiarized will be disqualified, and prizes will be revoked.
The Labari Prize may cancel or modify the competition in exceptional circumstances, with notice provided to participants.

We look forward to reading your work!