A publishing outfit, MyRainbowBooks Limited, in partnership with E-Gaps, a non-governmental outfit, is organising another round of the National Creative Writing Competition for children in Nigeria. The competition, which is annual and free-to-enter, is in its fourth year.
A press statement issued on behalf of the organising team by Isang Awah said the competition is endorsed by the Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC, and that it has many benefits including helping children to develop their creative thinking and writing skills.
The competition is open to children aged five to 16 years, who are either resident in Nigeria or from Nigeria. The themes for this year’s competition are: The Scar, The Boy in Purple Socks, The Confession, The Missing Calabash, The Broken Glass, and A Long, Long Night.
The statement reads in part:” Participation in the competition has many rewards including a chance at publication. Various prizes and awards will be given to the schools and children that send in outstanding entries, and the best entries will be published in the widely read and recognized MyRainbowBooks’ Children’s Collection.
” Additionally, children who excel in the competition will be invited to participate in a creative writing workshop run by the patron of the competition, Chigozie Obioma (award-winning author of The Fishermen).” The entries for the competition can be either a poem or a short story but must explore one of the given themes. The word limit for a short story is 1000 words, and the word limit for a poem is 250 words.”
The judges for the 2017 competition are Abubakar Ibrahim (Winner, NLNG Nigeria Prize for Literature, 2016), E C Osondu (Award-winning Author of Waiting & This House Is Not for Sale), and Kola Tubosun (Award-winning Linguist & Writer/ Founder, YorubaName.com).
The 2017 competition, which is sponsored by the Education Gaps Linkage Initiative, is also supported by various organisations and companies including Marvelous Mike Press, Mattini Book Club, Blooming Chicken, Iyin Creative, FourSquare Publishers, Cassava Republic, HEBN Publishers and Fenan Digital Prints Ltd.
The organisers added that individuals and schools may participate in the competition by sending their entries to myrainbowbooks@yahoo.com. All entries must be sent by the midnight of November 30, 2017.
