Ten winners have emerged from the first edition of the Campus Writing Challenge organised by the publishing outfit, OkadaBooks.
The winners were selected from a total of 1,793 entries. Sima Essien, a 100-level student of the University of Nsukka, studying English and Literature came first for ‘All Your Colours’.
One of the judges, Chika Unigwe, described Essien’s story as one that “does not have a single false note. It impresses with its vivid use of language and its deft execution of its theme of love, loss and hope.”
In second place was Jesutofunmi Fekoya (a 300-level law student of the University of Lagos) for ‘Dark Clouds’. Joseph Akinkunmi came third (a 400-level student of Zoology in the University of Ilorin) for ‘Dry Lids and the Devil’s Strings’.
‘Tales of Kuki’ by Idaewor Abel, a 300-level dentistry student of the University of Benin, was voted by the public as the entry with the best book cover due to its simple but well detailed graphic design.
The Campus Writing Challenge will be rewarding the top 25 entrants. Also, there are plans to make the contest an annual event for students in tertiary institutions across Nigeria.
The Campus Writing Challenge is sponsored by Union Bank and is aimed at providing students with the needed exposure to hone their crafts and become master storytellers. The winner receives a cash prize of N500,000 while the second and third will receive N200,000 and N100,000 respectively.
