Yemipoet June Poetry Contest ’26 Theme: Who Am I?

The Yemipoet June Poetry Contest calls on poets to explore an Acrostic Poem, themed “Who Am I?” The theme challenged participants to reflect on their core deeply. Participants were encouraged to express themselves through poetry, sharing stories of their identity, self-awareness, personal growth, purpose, dreams and truth. 

Each poem was meant to serve as a snapshot of the writer's journey and a reflection of who they are.

The entries were required to be an acrostic poem written using the poet's real name, with the name containing at least six letters. With instructions that every line of the poem must correspond to a letter of the participant's name, making each piece a unique expression of identity and creativity.

Submission Process
The contest was announced on 1st June, 2026

Submissions closed on 10th June, 2026

Submission: Participants were instructed to submit their entries by posting either an amazing image of themselves or a representative image on Instagram in collaboration with @yacsofoundation.

A total of 161 entries were received from poets across diverse backgrounds.

Evaluation and Winners
Entries were evaluated based on creativity, originality, proper interpretation of the theme, and quality of their posts.

Six poets were selected by the judges following the review process. The remaining 4 spots were accorded to those whose entries recorded the highest engagement, and together these 10 poets made up the Top 10 finalists.

From the Top 10, the audience participated in the final stage by voting for their favourite poets through colour-coded comments. These votes helped determine three finalists through audience participation, while the remaining two finalists were selected by the judges, making a total of the Top 5 finalists that emerged as the winners.

Winners' Spotlight
The five winners of the Yemipoet June Poetry Contest were:

Deborah 

Morayo

Victoria

Emerald

Aishah

Winners Award
A total cash prize of ₦100,000 was shared equally among the five winners in recognition of their outstanding creativity.

Appreciation
We appreciate Yemipoet, the pioneer of this vision, and the YACSO Foundation for their continued support in advancing poetry and literary creativity.

To every poet who submitted an entry, every reader who engaged with the poems, and everyone who participated one way or the other, thank you! 

See you in the JULY Edition.

Written and Edited by: 

Adetutu Oluwapelumi-Deuel