The Vweta Chadwick Poetry Prize: Advancing Gender Equality Through Creative Advocacy
- Project ASHA
- Jan 4
- 3 min read
On 21 October 2025, Project ASHA convened poets, advocates, development partners, and community leaders at the Merit Award House, Abuja, for the fourth edition of the Vweta Chadwick Poetry Prize. The event welcomed over 600 guests from the public sector, private sector, nonprofit sector, and poetry communities, marking a significant milestone as the first physical edition of the Prize since its inception.
The Vweta Chadwick Poetry Prize is ProjectASHA’s flagship creative advocacy initiative, established in honour of its late Founder and Global Programmes Director, Ms. Vweta Chadwick to amplify the voices of marginalized girls and women in Nigeria. Through poetry and community engagement, the Prize provides a structured platform for storytelling, dialogue, and social reflection on issues affecting girls and women.
About the Vweta Chadwick Poetry Prize
Launched four years ago, the Vweta Chadwick Poetry Prize was designed to leverage poetry as both an art form and a tool for social change. The initiative recognizes that creative expression can humanize complex gender issues, promote empathy, and foster civic engagement in ways that traditional advocacy approaches may not.
Over the past four years, Project ASHA has consistently used the Prize to:
Create safe spaces for girls and women to share lived experiences
Encourage public discourse on gender equality and equity
Support emerging voices through recognition, visibility, and rewards
Build a growing community of creatives and advocates committed to women’s rights
The Prize has reached participants from diverse social, economic, and geographic backgrounds, ensuring inclusion and representation across Nigeria.
The Fourth Edition: Scale, Reach, and Impact
The 2025 edition of the Vweta Chadwick Poetry Prize marked a turning point in the initiative’s growth. As the first in-person edition, it allowed for deeper engagement, peer learning, and community-building among participants and stakeholders.
This year, the Prize brought together girls and women from seven states across Nigeria, reflecting both national reach and grassroots engagement. The quality of submissions demonstrated strong literary skill and thoughtful engagement with critical social themes, including gender-based violence, access to education, identity, resilience, and social justice.
Participants competed for a Grand Prize of One Million Naira, alongside additional consolation prizes, underscoring Project ASHA’s commitment to valuing women’s creative labour and investing directly in their growth.
At the event were dignitaries like Hon. 'Dapo Oyewole Sec. Gen. CosPAL | SSA to the President on International Cooperation, Nurudeen Abubakar Zauro, CEO/Executive Secretary of PRECEFI Secretariat and Technical Advisor to the President on Economic and Financial Inclusion, and others.
Goodwill messages and comments from the event
In his speech, The Chairman of Project ASHA, Mr. Steven Robinson, has called on Nigerians to promote women’s voices through art, leadership, and creative expression, emphasizing that women’s participation is vital to national growth and social transformation.
“Arts, literature, and poetry remain powerful instruments of soft power. In a world struggling with divisions and tensions, they inspire, heal, and unite. What is happening here today is more than poetry; it is nation-building through creativity,” 'Dapo Oyewole
Looking Ahead
As Project ASHA builds on four years of implementation, the Vweta Chadwick Poetry Prize continues to evolve in scale and impact. The successful hosting of the first physical edition demonstrates both institutional growth and increased stakeholder confidence in the initiative.
With continued support from partners, donors, and the media, the Prize will expand its reach, strengthen participant support structures, and deepen its contribution to gender equality outcomes across Nigeria.
The 2025 edition stands as a clear example of how creative advocacy, when strategically designed and inclusively delivered, can contribute meaningfully to social change. Details about the winners will be published in subsequent post.
Comments