After months of anticipation and a rigorous multi-stage judging process, the winners of the New Voices Poetry Contest 2025 have been announced. The contest, dedicated to spotlighting Ghanaian poetic talent, culminated in an unforgettable awards night where powerful performances and modern voices met in celebration.
This year’s contest, supported by Africa No Filter and in partnership with literary and cultural organisations, brought together an inspiring jury of established poets and writers who carefully read and scored each poem. From nearly one hundred entries, twenty-seven poems were longlisted, narrowed to a shortlist of ten, and finally, the top winners were chosen.
The Winners:
- Winner (1st Place): Denoo Edinam Yawo (Poetic Siren) — Afe
- 2nd Place: Osae-Koranteng Derrick (Scott Frost) — A Voice From The Dead
- 3rd Place: Estella Esinam Apenuvor — To Them That Bleach Because Life Is Not Fair
- 4th Place: Benedicta Kyeremaa Addai — Kwame.. Lost But Not Forgotten
- 5th Place: Okaibea-Larbi Pearldrina (Wordsmith) — Weight Of Ancestral Scars
In addition, this year introduced a special recognition—the Undiscovered Gem Award, given to a poet whose work demonstrates remarkable promise despite being new to the poetry, publishing and contest landscape. This honour went to:
- Undiscovered Gem Award: Okaibea-Larbi Pearldrina (Wordsmith) — Weight Of Ancestral Scars
A Celebration of Ghanaian Voices
The 2025 edition reaffirmed the contest’s mission to build a home for emerging poets in Ghana and to preserve the authenticity of Ghanaian storytelling in its varied languages, rhythms, and traditions. From poems that invoked ancestral wisdom to those confronting modern struggles, the selected works captures the spirit of this generation’s literary creativity.
The winners will receive prizes including cash prizes, mentorship, publication in the New Voices Anthology 2025, and opportunities for performances and appearances, among others.
As the contest continues to grow, we look forward to future editions and to seeing these brilliant poets carve their paths in Ghanaian and global literature.