Theresa Lola is joint winner of Brunel International African Poetry Prize

Three poets have been awarded the 2018 Brunel International African Poetry Prize.

Hiwot Adilow from Ethiopia, British-Nigerian Theresa Lola, and Momtaza Mehri from Somalia were the joint winners out of the 1000 entries sent in. They will receive £1000 each in prize money.

According to the orgnisers, the judges were unable to settle on one winner.

The winners will have their works published in the New Generation African Poets series of books by the African Poetry Book Fund.

“Winning the Brunel International African Poetry Prize feels surreal, it is an unwavering highlight,” said Lola.

“To win the Brunel International African Poetry Prize feels like I am doing my job and responsibility as a poet and human in putting Africa forward where it rightly belongs.”

Lola has been shortlisted for the 2017 Bridport Poetry Prize, 2016 London Magazine Poetry Prize, and she won the 2017 Hammer and Tongue National Slam at the Royal Albert Hall, UK.

In 2016, the Brunel poetry prize was jointly won by two Nigerians, Gbenga Adesina and Chekwube O. Danladi.

Another Nigerian poet, Romeo Oriogun, won the 2017 prize for his entry about “masculinity and desire in the face of LGBT criminalisation and persecution”.

Bernadine Evaristo, founder of the prize and professor of creative writing at Brunel University London, said: “To be one of three winners of this prize, out of 1000 entries, is an amazing achievement.

“I’d like to congratulate the winners for rising to the top and wish them well with their future careers as poets.”

The poetry prize which was launched in 2012 is open to all African poets.