Winners of this year’s Wole Soyinka Essay competition organised as part of his 86th birthday celebration have been announced.
According to a statement by the Wole Soyinka International Cultural Exchange 2020 (WSICE organisers of the event, winners in the senior category (Ages 17 to 22) are Tyrone Nkululeko Takawira from Zimbabawe (Global Prize Winner and First Place Anglophone Winner – $1,000), Boluwaduro Abasiekem Adeyemi, A Nigerian Based in Barbados (Runner Up Anglophone Winner – $300), Felista Biluge from DR Congo (First Place Francophone Winner – $500), Emmanuel Adjanor from Cote D’ivoire (Runner Up Francophone Winner – $300), Yuying Zhu from China (First Place Sinophone Winner – $500), Jiayi Li from China (Runner Up Sinophone winner – $300), Samson Ikechukwuka Arewah from Nigeria (First Place Hispanophone winner – $500),⅕ Mayra Mileidy Pedraza-Fernandez from Colombia (Runner Up Hispanophone Winner – $300), Pedro Hermenegildo Goncalves Capita from Angola (First Place Lusophone winner – $500), Delcia Da Conceicao Verissimo Da Costa from Angola (Runner Up Lusophone winner – $300), Leta Daniel from Uganda (1st Place Consolation Diaspora Prize Winner – $200), Majeedat Abdulmajeed from Nigeria/Cuba (1st Runner Up Consolation Diaspora Prize Winner – $100), Anushree Chaudhuri from USA (2nd Runner Up Consolation Prize Winner – $100.
Also, essay winners in the Junior Category (Ages 12 to 16) are; Thelma Iheanacho from Nigeria (Global Prize Winner and First Place Francophone Winner – $600), Toluwanimi Sonuga from Nigeria (Runner Up Francophone Winner – $200), Emily Suh from USA (First Place Anglophone Winner – $300), Joseph Divine from Nigeria (Runner Up Anglophone Winner – $200), Shaoyuan Li from China (First Place Sinophone Winner – $300), Pamphile Sassi Aubert from Nigeria/China (Runner Up Sinophone Winner – $200), Vera Honam Anthonio from Ghana (1st Place Consolation Diaspora Prize Winner – $200), Sampada Dahal from Nepal (Runner Up Consolation Diaspora Prize Winner – $100).
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The theme for this year’s edition is: I AM because YOU ARE.
Over 2500 entries were received from 28 countries covering Anglophone, Francophone, Hispanophone, Lusophone, and Sinophone.
The essays were adjudicated by qualified judges from around the world including Dr. Razinat Mohammed of the University of Maiduguri, Nigeria Dr. Cristian Aquino-Sterling (USA), Lucile Huguet (France), Prof Veronique Maisier (USA), Professor Robert Fox (USA), Dr. Nadia Embleton from (UK), Yayra Tamakloe (Ghana), Mr. Olivier Alfonsi (France), Prof Lilly Cheng (USA/China), Lily Birmingham (Taiwan), Rosa Ovshinsky (China), Keyna Eleison (Brazil), Felix Ayoh Omidire (Nigeria).
