FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Inaugural Arole Agarawu African Poetry Prize Announces 2026 Shortlist
Ten poets emerge from 356 submissions received from poets across 21 countries.
LAGOS, Nigeria — September 14, 2026 — The Arole Agarawu Foundation has announced the shortlist for the inaugural Arole Agarawu African Poetry Prize, naming ten poets whose work emerged from 356 submissions received from poets across 21 countries.
The announcement marks a significant stage in the inaugural edition of the prize, which opened for submissions in February 2026 and invited poets of African descent from around the world to submit original, unpublished work.
Over 3,500 poems were read during the selection process. Readers worked through the submissions, returning to poems, discussing the work and engaging in successive rounds of consideration and deliberation. The field was narrowed from 356 submissions to a longlist of 30 poets before arriving at the final shortlist of ten.
The Shortlisted Poets & Suites
(Listed in alphabetical order by author's last name)
- Isaiah Adepoju (Nigeria) — “Alfred: Cantos”
- Ameen Animashaun (Nigeria) — “Dog Fighting a Heron”
- Edinam Denoo (Ghana) — “Bonu Bonu Kpoo”
- Rafiat Lamidi (Nigeria) — “The Lord of Loneliness”
- Sydney Mayes (United States) — “By The Sweat of The Mountain’s Brow”
- Migwi Mwangi (United States) — “Ndombolo Creation Story”
- Blessing Omeiza Ojo (Nigeria) — “Monologue with God in his Bivouac”
- Chiwenite Onyekwelu (Nigeria) — “John the Baptist”
- Rasheed Ayinla Shehu (Nigeria) — “Baggage of Assorted Wishes”
- Salma Abdulatif Yusuf (Kenya) — “GRAINS OF PARADISE”
Explore the official interactive presentation on our 2026 Shortlist Page.
About the Shortlist & Adjudication
The inaugural shortlist brings together poets writing from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and the United States, reflecting the geographical range of voices that responded to the prize’s first call for submissions.
The Arole Agarawu African Poetry Prize was established in memory of Alhaji Arole Agarawu (1930s–1995), a prolific West African songwriter and composer whose contributions to Yoruba musical forms, including Sakara, Apala and Waka, remain significant. Despite his contributions to these traditions, his lyrical work received limited formal recognition during his lifetime.
Through the prize, the Arole Agarawu Foundation seeks to honour that legacy while creating a platform for contemporary poets to receive recognition for their intellectual and artistic labour.
The prize recognises poets whose work demonstrates a profound engagement with form, language and rhythm while remaining attentive to the traditions and evolving possibilities of African poetics.
“A commitment to memory and an invitation to poets to sound the gong of the Black lyric and to be recognised for the weight and resonance of their voices.”
The ten shortlisted poets will now proceed to the final stage of the inaugural prize.
The Arole Agarawu African Poetry Prize will award $1,000 to a poet selected by the guest judge from the final shortlist. The Arole Grayling Wraith Prize will also award $1,000 to an eligible shortlisted poet living on the African continent and includes a production-grade video of a selected poem produced by media partner Grayling and Wraith.
A single poet may be eligible for both prizes. Where the top selection is a poet living on the African continent, the board may award the Arole Grayling Wraith Prize to a second shortlisted poet.
Further announcements regarding the final stage of the prize will be made in the coming weeks.
About the Arole Agarawu Foundation
Founded by Adedayo Agarau, the Arole Agarawu Foundation is dedicated to the preservation of African cultural heritage and the promotion of artistic excellence. Through literary prizes and engagement with the literary community, the Foundation seeks to safeguard cultural legacies while supporting and amplifying contemporary artistic voices.
For more information about the Foundation and the Arole Agarawu African Poetry Prize, visit: aroleagarawufoundation.com
Press Contact
Ijeoma Ntada
Communications Lead
Arole Agarawu Foundation
comms@aroleagarawufoundation.com
+234 815 807 7256