What does Nigeria look like when young women get to imagine it for themselves?
For four years, the Vweta Chadwick Poetry Prize has been creating a space for young women across Nigeria to answer questions like this through poetry, storytelling and spoken word. Now in its fifth edition, the Prize returns with a theme that invites a deeper conversation about the country we live in, the country we hope for, and the role young people can play in shaping it: Nigeria, The Nation We Want.
The Vweta Chadwick Poetry Prize is an annual literary initiative of ProjectASHA Initiative, established in honour of the late Vweta Chadwick. What began as a platform to celebrate young female poets has grown into a wider programme for women’s empowerment, youth engagement, creative expression, advocacy and inclusion.
Creating Space for Young Women’s Voices
The 2026 Prize is open to young women aged 14 to 26 across Nigeria. We are inviting poets, emerging writers and young creatives to explore the Nigeria they experience and the Nigeria they believe is possible.
This year’s conversations will particularly explore leadership, governance and youth participation; social justice, gender equality and inclusion; and technology.
We are interested in the big questions, but also in the everyday experiences behind them.
What does good leadership mean to a young woman? What does inclusion look like in her community? How does technology affect her opportunities and safety? What does justice mean when experienced from her own reality? What would she change if she had the opportunity?
There are no single answers to these questions. The Prize simply creates the room for young women to ask them, explore them and express what they think.
More Than a Poetry Competition
Over the past four editions, we have watched young women come into the Prize with their poems and leave with something more: confidence, visibility, new connections and a stronger belief in the value of their voices.
The 2026 edition will continue to build on this by creating opportunities for shortlisted poets to engage in civic engagement and advocacy training, creative development, storytelling, mentorship and networking. We want participants to see poetry not only as a creative pursuit but also as a tool that can open conversations, build communities and create opportunities.
The Prize will culminate in a national event at The Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, on November 16, 2026, bringing together young poets, creatives, literary professionals, civic actors, civil society organisations, development partners, media and other stakeholders.
There will be a ₦1 million prize pool, alongside additional prizes and opportunities for the top four winners: three winners in the Senior Category and one winner in the Junior Category.
Bringing Men Into the Conversation
While the Vweta Chadwick Poetry Prize remains an all-female poetry competition, the 2026 edition introduces a new Men Allies category.
We recognise that conversations about gender equality and the advancement of women and girls cannot happen in isolation. Men also have a role to play in challenging harmful norms, supporting inclusion and advocating for a society where women and girls can participate fully.
The Men Allies category creates space to recognise male creatives who are using their voices to contribute to that conversation.
An anthology will be produced as part of the 2026 Vweta Chadwick Poetry Prize, featuring the work and profiles of all shortlisted poets. The publication will provide participants with an additional platform for visibility, recognition, and a lasting record of their contribution to this year’s theme, “Nigeria: The Nation We Want.”
Continuing Vweta’s Legacy
The Prize carries the name and legacy of Vweta Chadwick, ProjectASHA’s late founder, whose life and work centred on creating opportunities for women, girls and people living with disabilities.
The Poetry Prize is one of the ways ProjectASHA continues that legacy. Every year, we create a platform where a young woman can take her ideas seriously, develop her talent, meet people who believe in her potential and discover that her voice can travel further than she imagined.
They should have the opportunity to speak about it themselves.
The Vweta Chadwick Poetry Prize 2026 is open for entries from August 10 to August 31, 2026.
If you are a young woman aged 14–26 with a poem, a story, an idea or simply something you feel needs to be said, we invite you to enter.
Theme: Nigeria: The Nation We Want
Grand Finale: November 16, 2026
Venue: The Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos
Submit Your Entry
Read the Entry guide lines here
Apply for the Vweta Chadwick Poetry Prize 2026
What does Nigeria look like when you get to imagine it for yourself?
We are ready to hear it.
