DECEMBER POETRY CONTEST: GRATITUDE, THE HALLMARK OF OUR JOURNEY

THEME: 2024, A GRATEFUL WALK

The year held and unravelled multiple things for people (positive and negative). This gives insight into the reason the theme “2024, A Grateful Walk,” reflective in tone, was chosen for our poets. The aim was for each poet to lock into their journey through the lens of introspection to provoke gratitude; helping them focus on appreciating their experiences, buckling courage to their chest and embracing the new year with even positive energy. 

SUBMISSION CRITERIA

The recognized poetry category for the month was Free Verse, giving room to each poet's creativity with their structures and expressions without the rudiments of a rhyme scheme. The Submission deadline was on December 9th. After the deadline elapsed, we recorded the submission of 200 poems in written form only. 

EVALUATION

Keeping in mind the recognition of the creativity, time and effort dedicated to each work, our judge swung right into evaluating the pieces. The evaluation criterion was selecting poems which resonated and truly reflected the stories, and experiences of poets, showcasing their gratitude attitude around the clock of 2024. Through this measure, the judge could streamline 200 whopping poems into the Top 30 poems, assigning deserved recognition to the creativity of 30 poets. 

From 30 poets, we went further to streamlining to the Top 10 poets whose works truly met the criterion on a higher percentage and for the first time in the history of YemiPoets, we had a STAR JUDGE, the person of Mrs Esther Adegoke.  She was of great help with the selection of our winners (Top 3) from the Top 10. She also made donations of 100,000 Naira to be awarded to the Top 3 poets. We are using this medium to send a special shout-out and appreciation for her remarkable effort and expertise in the selection and donation. 

Our Top 3 poets include: 

1st Place: Jessica Okpe 

Title: Twenty Twenty - Four 

2nd Place: Tehila Okagbue 

Title: Ode to Self 

3rd Place: Eniola Pitan 

Title: Hymn of Gratitude 

Our top 3 had one thing in common: it was their prowess in beautifully capturing their real 2024 experiences, allotting us the honour of recognizing their expression and authenticity at YemiPoets. The monetary prize was awarded to the winners in the following order; 1st place: 50,000 Naira, 2nd place: 30,000 Naira, and 3rd place: 20,000 Naira. 

As we know, YemiPoet is dedicated to loving humanity and recognizing the works of each poet. You would agree we could not have given all 200 poets some sort of award, however, we awarded our remaining 7 poets from the Top 10 with the sum of 5,000 Naira each. This showcases our awareness of inclusivity and recognition of poets which is a mantra in our community. 

SUMMARY

Through this month's contest, YemiPoet was able to plunge her audiences and participants into deep reflection on what they've been throughout 2024 and still find the strength to express their gratitude in words. 

MORAL LESSON

In all things, give thanks! In the end, you would not look like what you've been through. 

APPRECIATION

To our audiences and participants, thank you for always responding to YemiPoet. Remember, we're committed to recognizing your creativity. We hope to do more in 2025. 

See you there!