Bala Miller Prize for Performance Poetry

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Bala Miller Prize for Performance Poetry

Monthly Prize 🏆
An initiative of Nigerlites Spoken Word Artists [NiSWA]

30/04/2026

Winner 🏆✌🏿
April edition of Bala Miller Prize for Performance Poetry

27/04/2026

We're happy inviting you to Minna Open Mic Session 🎤

Come share your poetry, music, comedy, or just good vibes. The mic is open, the stage is yours, and the city is listening. We're the City of Literature.

📍 HCAF National Headquarters, David Mark Road Maitumbi, Minna
🗓️ | 4pm

Tag a friend who shouldn't miss this.

26/04/2026

MINNA OPEN MIC is here!

A space for poets, writers, storytellers, singers and lovers of art to connect, express and be heard.

📅 29th April 2026
🕓 4:00 PM (Don’t come late 😉)
📍 Hill-Top Creative Arts Foundation National Headquarters, Maitumbi, Minna

Come and perform your piece or just vibe with amazing talents.
Meet creatives, share ideas, and enjoy a powerful evening of spoken word and art.

Entry is open to all. Bring your friends!

21/04/2026

We’ve been a little quiet on here… and we owe you an apology 🤍

Behind the scenes, we’ve been working to make this edition even more intentional, powerful, and worthy of your voices. Thank you for your patience and for staying with us.

Now, we’re back — and it’s time 🔥
Presenting shortlist for the April 2026 edition of Bala Miller Prize for Performance Poetry.

10/04/2026

Don't sleep over it. 10th April, TODAY, is our deadline 🪾🪾🪾🪾

Submit your entry before 12am, Midnight.

06/04/2026

Keep the entries coming!!!!

Theme: WHISPERS FROM THE GARDEN OF BONES

You must not exceed 60 seconds. Submit on or before 10th April, 2026. Winner takes all.

Good luck 🤞🏿🍀

01/04/2026

CALL FOR SUBMISSION! 📢

BALA MILLER PRIZE FOR PERFORMANCE POETRY

We are excited to announce that the April edition of Bala Miller Prize for Performance Poetry is now open for entries.

We are calling for poets who understand breath as instrument, body as language, silence as tension — those who know that a poem is not only written but lived and outlived like the metaphors that constitutes it.

Submission Guidelines:
Theme: WHISPERS FROM THE GARDEN OF BONES
🎥 Submit a 1-minute video of you performing an original poem alongside the original poem in a word docx or PDF file.
📧 Send all submissions as a single email to: [email protected]
🗓 Deadline: 10th March, 2026!
🏆 Prize: ₦20,000.
📢 Winner will be announced in the last week of the month.
• Include a short third-person bio (100 words max).
• Subject line: Bala Miller Prize Submission – Your Name.

Important Notice: Refer to the flier.

29/03/2026

We are pleased to officially announce the selection of Amina Muhammad Kasim as the Winner, Yisa Precious Hanƙuri and Fortune Onyema as Runner-Ups for the March Edition of Bala Miller Prize for Performance Poetry by our amiable Judge, Abdulrazaq Salihu.

Following a careful review of the shortlisted entries, these poets emerged in recognition of their exceptional creativity, delivery, and artistic excellence in performance poetry.

We extend our warmest congratulations to the Winner and our Two Runner-Ups for the distinction of their work.

Please note: the cash prize is awarded to the Winner only. The Two Runner-Ups are recognised as honourable finalists for their outstanding performances.

We also sincerely appreciate every poet who submitted to this edition. Your voices, courage, and craft continue to uphold the spirit of the Prize.

Congratulations once again to all recognised poets.

24/03/2026

We are happy to announce shortlist for the March edition of Bala Miller Prize for Performance Poetry, named in honor of Alh. Aliyu Abubakar (Bala Miller); Permanent Secretary of the Niger state Ministry for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.

This prize celebrates the intersection of poetry, communal advocacy and the power of performance with values that Alh. Aliyu Abubakar has championed throughout his career in public service.

Congratulations to the finalists who shared with us “What The Poem Says About Us”.

20/03/2026

After a powerful round of submissions for the March Edition of the Bala Miller Prize for Performance Poetry, we are proud to unveil the Longlisted Poets.

These voices rose with force, craft, and unforgettable presence.

To every poet who made the longlist — congratulations.
To every poet who submitted — thank you for bringing your fire to this stage. Your words, courage, and artistry continue to make this prize a living force.

15/03/2026

Let's Welcome Our Judge!

We are happy to have the incredible Abdulrazaq Salihu to judge the March Edition of the monthly Bala Miller Prize for Performance Poetry.

Not just a poet; Abdulrazaq is an award-winning performance poet and he knows exactly what it takes to make a poem leap off the page and into the hearts of an audience. Winner of the Masks Literary Magazine Poetry Award, the LAP Performance Poetry Prize, and the SOD Contest, Abdulrazaq belongs to The Poetic Collective and takes pride in being a member of Hill-Top Creative Arts Foundation.

Please join us to welcome our global star boy!

13/03/2026

March Edition | Entry 05

“After the Morning Whispers” — by Maimuna Aliyu Ebbo

An entry for the March Edition of the Bala Miller Prize for Performance Poetry.

Every poem reveals something about us. Which line from this performance stayed with you the most? Drop it in the comment section.

Address

HCAF National Headquarters, David Mark Road, Maitumbi
Minna
910101

Website

https://minnacityofliterature.com.ng/nigerlites-spoken-word-artistes/

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