The Brunel International African Poetry Prize

The 2019 prize will open for entries from October 12th to December 12th 2018.

The Brunel International African Poetry Prize is a major annual poetry prize of £3000, aimed at the development, celebration and promotion of poetry from Africa. Now in its sixth year, the Prize is sponsored by Brunel University London and supported by the African Poetry Book Fund


British-Nigerian writer, Bernardine Evaristo, Professor of Creative Writing at Brunel University London, initiated the award in 2012 in order to revitalise African poetry, which at that time was almost invisible on the literary landscape. The Prize planned to draw attention to this poetry and to encourage a new generation of poets who might one day become an international presence.


The Prize works closely with the African Poetry Book Fund (APBF) and since its inception, most of the poets who have been nominated and/or won this award have published chapbooks with the African Poetry Book Fund series of ‘New Generation Chapbook Box Sets’. http://africanpoetrybf.unl.edu/.

The Prize is open to poets who were born in Africa, or who are nationals of an African country, or whose parents are African. It is for ten poems exactly in order to encourage serious poets. These poems may, however, have already been published. Only poets who have not yet had a full-length poetry book published are eligible. Poets who have self-published poetry books or had chapbooks and pamphlets published are allowed to submit for this prize.

For press, media and other professional enquiries only, contact Bernardine Evaristo at Bernardine.Evaristo@brunel.ac.uk. (For the submission email address see Rules.)

More INFO AND RULES HERE