Minna has won national and international prizes through her writers in Nigeria and abroad. The global literary prizes of Minna came through Ben Okri, a Booker Prize winner and Saddiq Dzukogi with his Derek Walcott Prize for poetry and Julie Suk Poetry Prize won in USA. Saddiq Dzukogi was also a Brunel Poetry Prize and Nigerian Prize for Literature finalist in poetry 2022.
Adding to the town’s literary prestige, Abu Bakr Sadiq, a resident of the city has also achieved significant recognition as an award winning poet. Abu Bakr clinched the Sillerman Prize in 2023 and stood as a finalist for the Evaristo Prize in the same year, further solidifying Minna’s reputation as a breeding ground for exceptional literary talents.
Other writers from Minna have won notable prizes in Nigeria. Maryam Shuaib Bobi, Halima Aliyu, Zaynab Iliyasu Bobi, Zakiyyah Dzukogi, Olumide Ojo Emmanuel, Abdulrazaq Salihu, and a host of others are torch-bearers of Minna literary power.
Minna, as a city of literature, is also a proprietor of her own festivals and art prizes attracting large audiences to the city. Find below, some notable ones that are organised by some literary organisations in the city.
