We are delighted to announce Alaga Unwomanumu as the winner of the Kofi Awoonor Poetry Prize 2025.

This year’s prize was judged by Maryhilde Obasiota Ibe, whose careful reading and thoughtful deliberation guided the final decision. Alaga Unwomanumu’s winning poem stood out for its artistic excellence, depth of vision, and compelling engagement with language.

As the winner, Alaga Unwomanumu will receive a cash prize of USD 150.00, and the winning poem will be published in our next issue.

We also extend our warm congratulations to Onyekachi Iloh, who emerges as the runner-up. We commend the strength and originality of the work submitted.

Finally, we offer our sincere thanks to all poets who submitted their work for the 2025 Kofi Awoonor Poetry Prize. The volume and quality of submissions made this year’s selection both exciting and challenging, and we are grateful for the trust you place in us by sharing your work.

Congratulations once again to our winner and runner-up, and thank you to everyone who participated.

Past Winner(s)

• Iyanuoluwa Adenle, 2024

  Guest Judged by: Othuke Umukoro

  Submissions for the 2025 Kofi Awoonor Poetry Prize will open from July 1 – August 8, 2026, closing at 11:59 PM (local time).

  2026 Judge will be announced soon.

  Maryhilda Obasiota Ibe was as the judge for the 2025 edition of the prize.

  2026 Submission Guidelines

  1. The Prize is open to writers worldwide. Each entrant may submit ONE unpublished poem. Multiple submissions by the same writer are not permitted.

  2. Please do not submit any poem that has appeared in any form — including chapbooks, anthologies, full-length collections, social media, blogs, newsletters, or literary magazines.

  3. Submitted poems should not exceed 50 lines. (Epigraphs and the poem’s title are not counted as part of the line total.)

  4. Submissions must be anonymous. Do not include your name or any biographical information in the manuscript document.
     In the body of your email only, please include:

     • Name

     • Phone number

     • Email address

     • Country of residence

  5. Submit your poem as a PDF or Word (.doc/.docx) file attachment to: kofiawoonorpoetryprize@gmail.com
     Email Subject Line: Kofi Awoonor Poetry Prize 2026

  6. Submissions that do not adhere to these guidelines — or that are received after the deadline — will be automatically disqualified and not read.

  7. Close friends, relatives, and recent students of the judge are not eligible to submit.

  8. There is no entry fee.

  9. Administrators at Pepper Coast Mag will receive and collate all entries and forward them to the judge. The judge reads all work anonymously.

  10. The judge’s decision is final.

  11. The winner will receive $150 USD and publication in Pepper Coast Mag.

  12. Finalists will be announced in October 2026.
      The winner will be announced in December 2026.

  For inquiries or clarifications, please email us.
  Thank you — and we look forward to receiving your work.