The organisers of the Nigerian Students Poetry Prize have begun accepting submissions from Nigerian undergraduates studying in Nigeria and the diaspora.

The award, which is an initiative of Poets in Nigeria, is aimed at stimulating literary creativity, promoting literary excellence and encouraging critical thinking among Nigerian undergraduates.

The entries are open until March 15.

The moderator, Kolade Freedom, noted in a statement that the submissions will be received between January 15 and March 15, 2019.

Interested Nigerian undergraduates are expected to submit a poem (30 lines maximum) on any theme of their choice before the deadline

The organisers say the poems (entries) must be original intellectual property of the entrants. They also add that an entrant is entitled to a single entry of 30 lines maximum and they can also write on any relevant theme.

Entries submitted must be previously unpublished. A submission discovered to have defaulted on this rule will be automatically voided (inclusive of winners).

Since inception in 2016 at the University of Ibadan, the prize has received over 1500 entries from students representing over 100 tertiary institutions (including universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, schools of nursing and seminary schools).

Reputed to be the foremost poetry prize for Nigerian students, the NSPP has been hosted by the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (2017) and Godfrey Okoye University, Enugu (2018).

As host of the fourth edition of the prize, Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island, Yenagoa, will be the venue for the NSPP awards ceremony slated for mid-2019.

Aside rewarding the prize winners (top three entrants) with a total cash prize of ₦300,000, the top 100 entrants will each receive a certificate of excellence.

They will also receive a complimentary copy of the NSPP anthology which features their works.