Dear readers, Peace Habila, Ebube Ezeadum, Victor Oladejo and Esther Ojetunde have won the N60,000 cash prize for #Week43 of the cmonionline essay competition. In Unspoken Lines of Pain, Peace delivers a vivid portrayal of a woman battling postpartum depression. As usual, the writer weaves a simple and engaging tale written with simple and easy to understand language. Peace, that you could waltz back into the competition after your break and claim the top spot is a testament to your talent as a good storyteller. You have won N20,000. Congratulations! In KACHI by Ebube Ezeadum, the writer employs imagery that is vivid and prose that is simple yet interesting, to weave the tender story of his 17-year old protagonist and how she journey’s through motherhood despite the hurdles. The commendable attribute of Ebube’s writing is that its narrative eye does not hold any judgement, nor does it burden his character with the tropes that are somehow bestowed on teenage mothers, especially those who birth outside of marriage. His story is, however, refreshingly, about a love that blooms gradually. This is a really praiseworthy piece, more because it is evident the writer has shown continuous improvement through this competition. Keep writing Ebube, you have won N10,000. Congrats! Victor Oladejo’s Spiral had an enthralling spin about it. He stretches the theme to a dimension that is purely imaginative and mind-warping. The story explores a couple’s navigation of childlessness and the lengths that desperation can drag us through. Victor’s writing, equally, has shown improvement. This is something that is admirable in all of the entries received for the competition. His entry so shines and cuts through scenes and timelines, it brings us a brilliant, otherworldly tale. This essay comes joint 2nd with KACHI and has won N10,000. Congrats! Esther Ojetunde’s exposé on Nigeria’s Power Sector clearly cross-examines the troubles beguiling our power sector. But more than pointing to what the problems are, she draws our eyes to what possible solutions to solving the menace could be. Esther’s essay is well researched, articulated, and with relevant citations. This is what earns her a spot on our list of winners. Esther, you have won N20,000 and we are especially happy for you because you have shown great enthusiasm since you joined this competition. We hope this win will encourage you to keep writing. Congrats! The entries for the month of March’s creative writing theme all had compelling stories to tell. Their voices are varied and interesting, and their writings tend towards sure and strong-footed. My Luckless Tribulation by Excel Olunsi is also a very good one that would have won but the writer failed to start with the catchphrase as instructed. This is why we keep SCREAMING that writers must pay close attention to details. We hope she wins next time. Generally, the entries we received were all highly interesting and showed commendable effort from each writer. We’re immensely proud of all the participants. The idea is to keep writing, keep reading, and keep submitting whether or not it is for a competition. That is how we keep growing. We’ve announced the themes for this month’s competition here. Get writing! Get creative! And remember, plagiarism isn’t tolerated. Congratulations to everyone and thanks for staying with us.