Sixteen-year-old pupil of Agidingbi Senior Grammar School, Ikeja, Lagos, Comfort Chukwuka, has emerged winner of the Onkowe Social Media Short Story Contest organised by a creative writer and blogger, Damilola Adeniyi.
Chukwuka clinched the prize with her story titled ‘Waste is Wealth’, being the story of a man who tries to make something noble out of his jobless situation.
Christiana Otemah and Anufororonini Victor, both of Noorwood International College, Lagos, emerged as runners-up.
At the prize presentation held at the office of Back Page Productions, Ikeja, the winner read part of her story, while the Editor of stargist, a blog, Dayo Odubanjo, spoke on opportunities that blogging and other online platforms offer creative writers.
Speaking on the essence of the contest, Olaniyi, who is also the Creative Director of Inky Repertoire, said the Onkowe Social Media was a site where children were encouraged to pursue and sharpen their creative power.
She said, “Writing has come of age in Nigeria but it is usual to come across stories aimed at readers who are not children. It seems writing for children gives most adults jitters and so shy away from it. Condescending to a child’s level, capturing a child’s interest and retaining it, are more of a challenge than birthing the concept itself.
“This gave rise to the following questions: Is children’s writing a terrain that is so difficult that only few writers can venture into it? Is there anything we might learn as these young ones guide us through their world, and an envisioned world that awaits them outside their immediate lived experiences?
“These questions set the foundation for the Onkowe Social Media Short Story Contest, an offshoot of the blog, www.damilolaniyi.com.”