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Call For Entries: Vweta Chadwick Poetry Prize '25

Project ASHA
2 days ago
3 min read

The 4th season of the Vweta Chadwick Poetry Prize is now open! We are inviting young female poets in Nigeria to raise their voices for change and shape a better world. Submit your poems, win prizes, and become the voices of ASHA!

Entry deadline: Sunday, June 22 2025

Project Asha is excited to officially open the curtain on this year’s Poetry Prize submission. The Vweta Chadwick Poetry Prize (VCPP), which was launched in 2022 to amplify the voices of Nigerian female poets and raise a socially-conscious army of young girls, is here again. Ranked among the top three female poetry prizes in Nigeria by Google, VCPP is also the first poetry prize globally to establish a presence in the Metaverse, offering participants a unique immersive experience. Since its launch, VCPP has amplified and empowered 600 girls and will take them to a bigger stage this year.

2025 Theme: Hear Our Voices; Heal This Land

We welcome poems that explore:

The urgent need for global change, especially for vulnerable and marginalized communities
The vital role of women and youths in healing and nation-building
The power of breaking the silence around the societal challenges affecting youth and women

PRIZES

₦1,000,000 in prizes to be won
The top 20 finalist poems will be published in the 2025 VCPP anthology.
Voice of ASHA 2025 will be crowned.
Other prizes and gifts are available too

Eligibility & Categories

Junior Category: Girls in senior secondary school or who have completed their SSCE
Senior Category: Girls in tertiary institutions or recent graduates from any Nigerian Schools.
Open to female poets residing in Nigeria only.

Read submission guidelines at the end of article

About Vweta Poetry Prize

The Vweta Chadwick Poetry Prize (VCPP) was founded to honor the life and legacy of Vweta Chadwick, a visionary leader, Global Programmes manager, and founder of ProjectASHA NGO—a non-profit dedicated to uplifting vulnerable and marginalized communities across Nigeria and beyond.

Vweta, an alumna of the Mandela Washington Fellowship, US Institute of Peace, and the Carrington Youth Fellowship Initiative of the U.S. Consulate (among others), dedicated her life to advancing the rights of girls, women, and persons with disabilities across Nigeria and Africa. A fierce advocate for women’s rights and the safety of the girl-child, Vweta devoted her life to empowering women, mentoring young girls, and driving meaningful change through activism and poetry. Even after her passing in 2020, her voice continues to inspire action for justice, unity, and social transformation.

Since its inception in 2022, the VCPP has engaged over 600 young female poets across Nigeria, amplifying voices that speak truth to power and using poetry as a force for social awareness. With each passing year, the Prize grows, championing bold, socially conscious poetry and nurturing the next generation of changemakers.

Among the outstanding finalists from previous editions is Juliet Nnaji, a published author and performer. The prize has also been shaped by the expertise of distinguished judges, each with notable local and international accolades, including Iquo Diana Abasi, Adedayo Agarau, Shola Phoebian, Kemi Bakare, Prof. Aida Correra-Jackson, David Olajide, Ella Forte, and Tolase Ajibola, whose contributions have enriched the selection process.

As we look to 2025 and beyond, we remain committed to elevating even more voices, ensuring that Vweta’s vision and legacy continue to thrive.

Submission Guidelines

Submit only one entry with an original, unpublished poem.
Maximum 40 lines, written in English (other languages allowed with glossary).
Submit in a word .doc or .pdf format, with file name saved: [Poet Name – Poem Title].
Entry poems should align with the 2025 theme: "Hear Our Voices; Heal This Land".
No AI-generated, co-authored, already published, or previously awarded poems allowed.(all entries will pass the AI test and due diligence conducted)
Submission is FREE
Deadline: June 22, 2025
Poem title should not be the Poetry Prize Theme (Creativity attracts more points)
Poems written in prose form will be automatically disqualified
Beware to not submit entries with blank document
Entries with edit notes in the document will be disqualified