The Sokoto Book and Arts Festival (SOBAFest), organised by Book O’Clock and The Poetry Club UDUS, has announced the return of the Queen Amina Short Story Prize, an annual key feature of the Sokoto Book and Arts Festival.
The Sokoto Book and Arts Festival (SOBAFest), a vibrant initiative by Book O’Clock and The Poetry Club UDUS, is set to return with two of its most anticipated events: the Queen Amina Short Story Prize and the SOBAFest 2025 Poetry Slam. Both events, deeply rooted in the festival’s commitment to nurturing literary talent and celebrating Northern Nigerian culture, promise to ignite conversations and elevate emerging voices under the overarching theme of “Intersectionality.”
Queen Amina Short Story Prize: Amplifying Women’s Stories
Now in its fifth year, the Queen Amina Short Story Prize continues to honor the legendary Hausa warrior queen, Amina of Zazzau. This prestigious competition is dedicated to showcasing bold, imaginative, and powerful short fiction that explores the multifaceted experiences of women and gender-related issues across Northern Nigeria and beyond.
This year’s theme, “Intersectionality,” invites writers to delve into the complexities of identity, challenging traditional narratives and reframing the stories of girlhood and womanhood. “We are interested in stories that navigate the tension between meeting points,” explains Festival curator Zaynab Abdulrazaq. “Stories of girls/women whose lives intersect across identities, reflecting the complexity of their realities amidst gender norms and societal demands such as tribe, religion, sexuality, class, and dreams.”
The competition is a powerful call to young female storytellers to reimagine memory, identity, and legacy through fiction that dares to question and redefine. Abdulrazaq emphasizes that it’s “a celebration of resistance, cultural rootedness, and radical imagination.”
Submission Guidelines for the Queen Amina Short Story Prize:
- Eligibility: Open to girls and women residing in Sokoto.
- Format: Original, unpublished short stories up to 1000 words, featuring a strong female character.
- How to Submit: Send the file in .docx format to sobafest@gmail.com.
- Subject Line: “Submission for Queen Amina Short Story Prize—[Title of your story]”.
- Deadline: August 13, 2025.
Prizes:
- Winner: ₦50,000 and publication.
- 2nd Place: ₦30,000 and publication.
- 3rd Place: ₦20,000 and publication.
- Shortlisted entries will receive honorary mentions.
SOBAFest 2025 Poetry Slam: A Stage for Lyrical Rebellion
The SOBAFest 2025 Poetry Slam is set to be an electrifying and revolutionary event, providing a dynamic platform for young poets in Sokoto to reclaim their stories, challenge narratives, and speak truth to power. This year’s slam, also under the “Intersection” theme, will spotlight poetry that interrogates the meeting points of the past, present, and future, celebrating identity and defying silence through the intersectionality of languages, particularly “Engausa,” and other contemporary realities of the Arewa region, while remaining open to wider global conversations.
Ridwan Fasasi, co-curator of SOBAFest 2025, describes the poetry slam as “a radical stage of remembrance and rebellion, where poets do not just speak, but break ground.” Attendees can expect a thrilling performance filled with rhetoric, cultural interrogation, and unapologetic expression straight from the heart of Sokoto.
How to Enter the Poetry Slam:
- Eligibility: Creatives residing in Sokoto or who can travel to Sokoto for the event.
- Initial Submission: Post a video of yourself performing your piece on Instagram with the hashtag #sobafest25slam and tag @soba_fest.
- Video Requirements: The clip should include the artist’s name and a short performance (maximum 120 seconds) showcasing their mastery of their craft. Initial online entries are themeless.
- Shortlist: The top 10 entries will be shortlisted to compete on the SOBAFest stage, where they will then prepare performances aligned with the festival’s “Intersections” theme.
Prizes:
- 1st Prize: ₦50,000
- 2nd Prize: ₦30,000
- 3rd Prize: ₦20,000
- All winners’ slam videos will be featured on SOBAFest platforms.
SOBAFest, known for bringing together writers, poets, artists, and cultural enthusiasts, is an initiative dedicated to amplifying underrepresented voices and preserving the richness of Northern Nigerian culture through literature, performance, and visual art.
For more information and updates on both events, follow @soba_fest on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter), or email sobafest@gmail.com.
