By Prisca Sam-Duru

Submission of entries for the 2023 edition of the annual Ken Saro-Wiwa Prize For Book Review, is open to interested writers.

According to the Committee for Relevant Art, CORA, promoters of the yearly Lagos Book & Art Festival (LABAF), winners will be presented at the 25th edition of LABAF with the theme ‘THE RESET: History and the Darkling Plain’. It holds from November 13 to 19, 2023

Dedicated to the celebration of the life and career of the famous writer and environmentalist, Ken Saro-Wiwa, who was killed by the Nigeria State on November 10, 1995, the Prize is designed to encourage reading and engagement of the published text, which is in tandem with the core objective of the CORA and its prime project, the LABAF.

A release from the Programme Directorate of the festival spells out the features and conditions for the Prize to include; a review of the drama text GRIT by Obari Gomba which won Nigeria LNG-sponsored 2023 Nigeria Prize for Literature worth $100,000; entries should be a maximum of 1500 words, minimum of 800 words; entries must be submitted latest 12 noon November 10, 2023 to [email protected]; competition is open to only those in age bracket 18-25 years.

Also, shortlisted entries will be announced on Monday, November 13; the overall winner to be announced on Wednesday, November 15; while the conferment of the Prize on winner will take place on Friday, November 17 at Freedom Park, Lagos.

While the special guest of honour is Obari Gomba, winner of the NPL 2023, Mr. Andy Odey, General Manager, External Relations & Sustainable Development, NLNG, will be the guest of honour.

The prize project was launched in 2015 on the occasion of the 17th LABAF, which was dedicated to mark the 20th anniversary of the state killing of Saro-Wiwa, himself a keen observer, commentator, and critic of the quality of literature being produced in the country in his time.

The project is designed to further a key objective of the CORA and LABAF— deepening the culture of reading and engagement of content of literary works, particularly fiction, drama, poetry and non-fiction; all the genres where the late author, Ken Saro-Wiwa, excelled in his illustrious writing career.