winners

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Winners: #WritingContest

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We published 11 stories and 9 poems summing up to 20 entries for this #WritingContest and you can read them here. The winners of the N100,000 cash prize emerged following our peer review on 01/10/2023. 1. Solomon Ekoja tops the list with the most nominations, (3 for his poem One More Push and 1 for The Blame Game Analysis). I love the essay, it was written in a unique style and further shows the writer’s versatility. It is worth saying that only Solomon submitted 3 entries. Congratulations, you have won N20,000. 2. Victor Oladejo got 3 nominations, (2 for Notes On Nigeria and 1 for Sailor). We all know this writer is a talented and consistent veteran of our community. The poem which I describe as hybridized was brilliantly written. Additionally, the fact that the feature story was actually his first attempt in the genre is also a testament to the foregoing. Congrats Victor, you will receive a credit alert of N15,000. 3. Becky Peleowo also had 3 nominations for her brief but entertaining story Who Is Buchi’s Father. The writer also penned a poem Tetralogy Of Hope Songs which is equally as good if not better. Well done Becky, you have won N15,000. 3. Chukwuemeka Oluka had 2 nominations for his feature story titled Nigeria’s Turbulent Journey: Who Is To Blame. He wins N10,000. Congratulations! Faith Oyadiran, Emmanuel Enaku and Oluwaseun Osanyinro had a nomination each for Meeting The Mysterious (A Night With The Deities), My Father and Weapons Of Defence respectively. They have won N10,000 each. Oluwaseun’s story received the following plaudits from Oluka: For “Weapons of Defence,” much as it was laced with fear, the writer was able to infuse some pockets of humour into her story. Imagine when she wrote, “Had I been in my room, I would have plugged my phone.” That, for me, was sublime and off the chart. Now this is what we need to see more. Going forward we should be able to outline particular sections of a story that released the dopamine for us during our peer review sessions. And then ONLY those who attend the session will be eligible. This will promote transparency and improve our commitment to the process. Kenneth Nwabuisi and Victor Akintomide will be encouraged with N5000 each. Writers are urged to get creative with their captions. You mustn’t use the topic as your story title. Sadly one writer plagiarised and was banned from the competition. It is disgusting to see such behaviour. Writers who only send in entries when there is money to be won are more likely to flout the rules. We are NOT here to make money but to learn and improve in the craft we love. Please beware and say NO TO PLAGIARISM. Writers are advised to join our WhatsApp group to keep abreast of our activities by sending an email request to admin@cmonionline.com as only those who participate in our peer reviews will be eligible for the prize. Also, endeavour to get a domain of your own to start building your platform. Feedback has been sent to some writers and you can always refer to our free resources and this post in particular for tips that will help you to improve your writing. We thank everyone who participated in this competition and those who have been on the journey with us. Our special appreciation goes to Stanley Ugbo Okeke whose benevolence made this contest rewarding. Next up will be the BIG ONE..follow our social media pages for regular updates.

Blog, News

Winners: Easter Contest

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We published 12 entries for this Easter Contest which you can read here and the winners of the N100,000 cash prize emerged following our peer review on 16/04/2023. 1. The Igbo — Yoruba Mistrust by Chukwuemeka Oluka was the clear favourite as it received 3 nominations and was the most discussed story. The writer traced the political history of suspicion between the Igbos and Yorubas leading up to the recent events of the 2023 elections. He made an objective and balanced analysis before offering suggestions on the way forward; “Starting with Lagos, Igbo residents in Lagos and their host communities should realize that Lagos is better when the two tribes work together.” It takes courage to broach let alone do justice to this sensitive topic but Chukwuemeka has never dreaded uncharted paths. For that and the earlier stated reasons, his opinion piece wins the competition’s star price of N30,000. Congratulations Chukwuemeka. 2. Messindinho The Unfeeling Beast by Emmanuel Enaku got 2 nominations and was the second most discussed story. The writer who is growing into the darling of our community now owns this Messidinho character whom he has used in previous stories. It is impressive how he manages to show dexterity in each story. This time Messidinho plots to avenge a wrong by his friend while still finding time to indulge in his characteristic eroticism. The ruthless execution of his plan leaves the reader wondering what manner of character is this. Congratulations Emmanuel. This story wins N20,000. 3. Rotten Tooth by Kenneth Nwabuisi received 3 nominations. In this story about sibling rivalry Kenneth once again proved to be a wonderful storyteller. Narrated in a timeline, with great dialogue and expressions like; “No. I mean I understand how you feel, but I wouldn’t advise you to let this feeling grow. I may be unavailable for it at the moment because I’m currently seeing someone.” the fractious relationship and vengeful acts of two sisters will have you reading to the explosive climax. What a wonderful story! Well done Kenneth. This story wins N10,000. 4. TAMING tHE Thug! by Becky Peleowo had a nomination and I love the creative caption. Writing about the experience of a young man who reluctantly decides to be a political thug for the first time, the writer in some parts reminded me of Virginia Woolf’s stream of consciousness as her ink flowed through past events. She effortlessly brought one of the often overlooked causative factors of thuggery to the fore and wove an emotional tale that showed her creative talent. Congratulations Becky. I enjoyed this story and the last line was poignant. This story wins N10,000 5. Celebrating New Life: A Poem By Solomon Ekoja got a deserved nomination as the writer continues to prove his versatility. It wins N10,000 Thug by Victor Oladejo and Miracle: A Poem by Stephen Ayilegbe earns N10,000 each for consistency and courage respectively. The other entries were equally good and I loved the poems JUST WHY? by Becky and If I Were Jesus by Chukwuemeka. I haven’t written one in ages and I’m inspired to do so by reading these works. I vowed to be stricter in enforcing our rules and more capitalist in rewarding excellence, thus in line with the first part some entries were rejected for ignoring the instructions and not meeting our editorial standards but all writers were rewarded including those that had only one published entry. However, every day will not be Easter going forward. Writers are advised to join our Whatsapp group to keep abreast of our activities by sending an email request to admin@cmonionline.com as only those who participate in our peer reviews will be eligible for the prize. Also, endeavour to get a domain of your own to start building your platform. Feedback has been sent to some writers and you can always refer to our free resources and this post in particular for tips that will help you to improve your writing. We thank everyone who participated in this competition and those who have been on the journey with us. Our special appreciation goes to Newross & Co who sponsored this contest. Congratulations to all!

News

Scholastica Moraa wins 2022 Kendeka Short Story Prize

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The winner of the 2022 Kendeka Prize for African Literature, announced on September 24, is Scholastica Moraa (Kenya) for her short story titled “Chained”. In a statement during the ceremony, Adaora Raji (Nigeria) was announced the first runner-up for her story “Star Boy”, while Beverley Ann Abrahams (Zimbabwe) was the second runner-up for her short story “Isithunzi“. The winning stories were chosen after a rigorous process by a panel of three Judges chaired by Dr. Siphiwo Mahala, from South Africa. Also in the panel were Bisi Adjapon from Ghana and Faith Oneya from Kenya. In their statement, the judges stated, “Each and every writer who put their ideas on paper and submitted their story for consideration in this prize adds a unique voice to the African literary tradition. The wide range of themes, narrative styles and imagery tells of a continent undergoing a literary revolution. Scholars might not have coined a suitable name for it as yet, but these new voices are redefining the African literary tradition in their own terms.” The winner, Moraa is a Kenyan author and poet. She is a graduate from Jaramogi University with a Bsc in actuarial science. She is the author of a collection of poems titled Beautiful Mess. Her short story “6 days to twenty” was longlisted in the Kendeka Prize for African Literature 2021. When she is not writing, she is deeply immersed in a novel or two. She loves travelling, making new friends, learning new languages and overthinking. The Kendeka Prize for African Literature is an initiative by Andrew Maina, a Kenyan writer whose aim is to encourage Africans to write, and read more. The winner of the 2021 Prize was Jenny Robson (Botswana) for her story, Water For Wine. Fatima Okhousami (Nigeria) was the first runner-up for her story, The Women of Atinga House, while Okpanachi Irene Ojochegbe (Nigeria) was the second runner-up for her short story, Au Pair. The Prize is run by an Advisory Board chaired by James Murua. Other members are Dr. Tom Odhiambo, Muthoni wa Gichuru, Mercy Kiragu, Patrick Gatobu, William Mureithi, Lucas Wafula and Andrew Maina. The winners of the 2022 prize were announced during the award ceremony held in the TAS TV studios in Thika. The overall winner will receive Kshs 100,000, while the second and the third prizes are Kshs 50,000 and 25,000, respectively. Congratulations to them.

Blog, News

Essay Competition: Week 45 Winners

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  Dear readers, we’re happy to announce the winners of our #Week45 Essay Competition. Oladejo Victor for his story, The Good Man, Collins Undelikwo for his story The Storm, and Esther Ojetunde for her essay Between Monogamy and Polygamy: Choosing a Better Marriage.  We received a number of impressive entries for this edition, and enjoyed reading through them all. Congratulations to the writers who sent in their stories. And huge congratulations to our winners!  

Blog

Essay Competition: Week 43 Winners.

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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.

Blog, News

Essay Competition: Week 42 Winners.

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We have our winners for Week 42 of the cmonionline essay competition.
Michael Ogbonnaya, Chukwuemeka Oluka, Stephen Ayilegbe and Ojetunde Esther will share the N30,000 cash prize this week.

Blog, Writers

Essay Competition: Week 39 Winners.

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Dear readers, our winners for week 39 have emerged. Roselyn Sho-Olajide and Michael Ogbonnaya have won N20,000 each while Chisom Arueze and Peace Habila are tied and will split the N20,000 cash price.

Join our essay competition.

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