Nigeria’s Olajuwon-Alhaytham Abdullah has won the Barjeel Poetry Prize in the English/International category for his piece ‘Finding Home in Loneliness’.
Others are Islam Abdul Shahid Hanish (Arabic), Emily Khilfeh (English, Arab Heritage), and Charlotte Eichler (Englsih, International).
The three youth category winners are: Batool Abu Akleen (Arabic), Nour Salama (English, Arab Heritage), and Abdullah Adedokun (English, International).
Abdullah’s poem responds to ‘Cactus with City in the Background’ by Asim Abu Shakra.
The prize which drew entries from more than 500 poets around the world, asked writers to respond to one of twenty works of art that form part of the Barjeel collection.
The awards are sponsored by the Barjeel Art Foundation, an independent arts organization based in the United Arab Emirates, and they will be presented at a virtual awards ceremony in early 2021, with a recording available following the event.
