We are pleased to announce the long-listed poets for the inaugural Cradle Poetry Contest for secondary school students. We received an overwhelming number of entries, and the quality of the poems were astonishing. We acknowledge the effort of every child who has participated in this year’s contest, and we want you to know that our judges loved your poem, but we can’t long-list every single poem. That being said, we encourage you to keep writing.

Here is the long-list for Cradle Poetry Contest, 2020, in no particular order:

MATTER ANYTHING THAT HAS WEIGHT AND OCCUPIES SPACE- EMMANUELLA OSHIOMEGIE BLOOMBREED HIGH SCHOOL, PORT HARCOURT

A POEM OF REMEMBRANCE-QUEEN MARVELOUS DANLADI JEWEL MODEL SCHOOL, ABUJA

ENTRAPPED- BOLARINWA ISABELLA NAOWA COLLEGE, ABUJA

DIETARY LAW- SAFINAT IBRAHIM JEWEL MODEL SCHOOL, ABUJA

SILENCE- FAVOUR ADEOYE BRAINFIELD SCHOOLS

MY UNKNOWN PLIGHT-GOODNESS OJIMA EBENEHI NIGERIAN NAVY SECONDARY SCHOOL, KOGI STATE

THE NAÏVE WAY I SEEK FREEDOM FROM MY FATHER-GLORIA OTTI JEWEL MODEL SCHOOL, ABUJA

NATURE’S EYE-AMAECHI PEACE CHIDERA KING ADO SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL, LAGOS STATE

EQUALITY- EMMAUELLA EBENEZER BRAINFIELD SCHOOLS

WOMAN-LUCKY NUSIRAT KING ADO SENIOR HIGH SCHHOL, LAGOS

ANATOMY OF PAIN FROM A BOY’S BODY- PAACELLA CHUKWUMA-EKE JEWEL MODEL SCHOOL, ABUJA

CONFESSIONS BEFORE AN OPEN DOOR- EDUWEM IDARA BLOOMBREED HIGH SCHOOL, PORT HARCOURT

Long-listed poets, alongside their poems will be profiled every other day through the month of July. A shortlist will be announced in The first week of August, and Winners in the second week of the same month.

It is of great importance to us, that Poets of the coming generation be discovered and nurtured as early as is possible.

Congratulations to all long-listed students.