Winners — The Literesque Prize 2.

WINNERS — The Literesque Prize 2

In order of placement:

POETRY

Winner:

But IF You Must, Cut Me Right

Lucky Jamal Junior – @luc_kyjj

Second Place:

And Then There’s….You

Olivia Michael – @plain_olivia

Runners Up:

1. 9174

Chioma Onyeani Uduma – @chioma.uuuu

2. A Certain Kind of Attention

Niel Akin – @immanuelakindele

3. Fixation

Magdalene Musa – @shagimi.ms

CREATIVE NONFICTION

Winner:

In a Land of Myth

Chinwendu Rose – @rosewendu

Second Place:

Tomb of the Beautiful Ones

Amina Jummai – @jummai_amina

Runners Up:

1. The 9 (Not So Holy) Commandments of Adulthood

Majeedat Abdulmajeed – @majeedatabdulpoetry

2. The Illusion of Freewill

Oreoluwa Odusote – @thatwriter_ore

3. Listen, Hangman

Ugochi Nnaji – @blackbrideugo

SHORT FICTION

Winner:

Stories No One Asked For

Eden Chen James – @____ecj

Second Place:

Upside Down

Hassan Babajide – @hassanb7528

Runners Up:

1. Every Death I’ve Ever Known Had a Boy’s Face

Adedamola Xhristopher – @Da_xhris

2. If We Really Look At It

Sefiya Danjuma – @Danjumasefiya

3. The Mind is Not a Gentle Place

Deborah Adeleke – @Thewritingirl

JUDGES’ HONOURABLE MENTIONS

1. The In-Between | Creative Nonfiction

Ogbuji Ekeoma – @ekeomaog_

2. Freewill | Creative Nonfiction

Chiamara Anyacho – @chiamara.anyacho

3. Fixations | Poetry

Tuoyo Palmer – @tamriffa

Congratulations! All winning and shortlisted pieces will be published in the inaugural May/June 2026 Issue of Literesque Magazine. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok @pennacleliterature & @literesque for updates and highlights.