It’s been an amazing three weeks of content rating and reviews. Special thanks to all who have been a part of this year’s edition of the ELSiEiSY Blog Annual Writing Competition – Love Literati Contest. This yearly activity helps us uniquely celebrate love as we uphold our love for the art of writing through the expression of love. Love Literati Contest is designed to sustain and re-enforce the beauty of writing and literature in Nigeria. 

A call for submissions was published on 31st of January 2020 via ELSiEiSY Blog, through our media partners – Plus TV Africa and Moskedapages, and through our friends using various messaging and microblogging platforms. By the end of the submission period, we had received a total of 250 submissions. 

This took us to the next stage that involved the services of a voluntary team of persons who have worked closely with the brand – ELSiEiSY, over the years, and are writers and curators for different reputable platforms. Through the rigorous process of reading and vetting, 33 submissions made it to the shortlist and were published on ELSiEiSY Blog

It became even more difficult at this stage as these submissions all carried the right emotion and literary beauty that fitted the theme of the competition. The responsibility to pick the final three winners rested upon the judges for this year’s edition – Sally Kenneth Dadzie (Author and Editor-In-Chief, Moskedapages), Segun Odejimi (Writer, Noah’s Ark Communication) and Deoye Falade (Writer and Communication Executive, AVON HMO).

With this explanation of our short but rigorous process, we are glad to finally announce the winners of the 2020 Love Literati Contest:

3^rd Place

“How to Tell a Nigerian Love Story” by Joseph Chimezie

2^nd Place

“Moremi” by Edoziem Miracle

1^st Place

“Heaven Can Wait” by Ama Udofa

While the first-place winner gets NGN50,000, the second-place winner gets NGN30,000, and the third-place winner gets NGN20,000. Congratulations to the winners!

Till we do this again in the year 2021, here are a few tips we thought to share with the ever-growing writing population in Nigeria, seeking opportunities like this one, within and outside the country, to showcase their work:

1. Take Email Etiquettes Very Serious – Some of the submissions were disqualified due to simple email rules. Some made it because there was a reconsideration to go through the disqualified submissions based on these etiquettes. Most platforms will not be that lenient, and they don’t owe you their leniency. As a writer, you should be professional, and the least you can do is use search engines like google to brush up your skills. 

• Follow Instructions – As simple as this may sound, it was difficult for many to follow simple instructions attached to this competition. Following instructions, especially when submitting an application, will ensure you are noticed first before consideration comes to play. Whether you are applying for a visa, grant, job opening, or writing competition, remember that many other people are too. Therefore, give yourself a better chance by primarily playing by the rules. 

• Don’t Ask Questions with Obvious Answers – In situations like this, you would most likely not get an answer, and that might demoralize you. Learn to read, re-read, and understand simple instructions. 

Good luck to you, and never stop writing. Also, note that ELSiEiSY Blog is a platform to showcase your literary works and opinion articles. Consistency makes you better, and there are loads of opportunities in writing. Follow the submission menu on the blog to submit your content for publishing consideration.

Congratulations once again to the winners of the ELSiEiSY Blog Love Literati Contest. Let’s do this again!