Chinazaekpere Amaechina is a Nigerian writer with an interest in everyday experiences and simple human stories. She holds a Higher National Diploma and has experience in media and communication. Her writing focuses on personal observations and the small, meaningful moments of daily life. She is based in Enugu, Nigeria
Read her winning poem: The Face-off
Hajarat Abiodun Alli is a Nigerian writer and story world builder at Cool Bees and Wild Suns. She won the Bolaji Abdullahi Prize for Literature and the Best Script Award at the EbonyLife Creative Academy. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in Brittle Paper, The Mamba Journal of Africa Haiku Network, The Poetry Journal, The Mokwa Flood Anthology, and elsewhere. She is on Instagram @poetioushajarah.
Read her winning poem: Mallam Sauta’s First Sallah Ram
David Hughes is a UK writer, based in West Cornwall, whose work explores contemporary life, work, relationships, and the quiet systems that shape ordinary days. His poems and essays have appeared in literary magazines and anthologies in the UK and USA. His debut novel, The Listener, was published in 2025. He was semi finalist in the 2026 Lit Fox Poetry Book prize with Burden of Attention.
Read his winning poem: Lighting Disclaimer
Widely relatable stories from ordinary individual experiences
Book Review
Face Me I Face You
Oyindamola Shoola
“…some of the poems use humour like a mask, reminiscent of the biblical story where Jacob disguised himself as Esau to steal his brother’s birth right….there is a seemingly consistent and delicate balancing act between humour and societal critique… leaving readers to wonder: is she criticising the burden of these traditions, or highlighting the good intentions behind them?”
