Pawners Paper Magazine x Intellectual Property Institute Nigeria Creative Competition

Pawners Paper Magazine, in partnership with the Intellectual Property Institute, Nigeria (IPIN), is thrilled to announce the Prize Competition.

About the Competition

Pawners Paper Magazine, in partnership with the Intellectual Property Institute, Nigeria (IPIN), is thrilled to announce a Prize Competition, set ahead of the release of our magazine maiden issue.

The competition, themed “Uncharted,” is designed to support and reward creative writers and visual artists. Winners and runners-up will receive cash prizes and be featured in our inaugural issue, alongside gaining visibility across our platforms.

The theme “Uncharted” conveys the idea of exploration; of stepping beyond what is known into spaces that are not certain, surprising, and full of possibility. It is an invitation to creators to look past familiar boundaries, whether by uncovering overlooked perspectives, reimagining the world through fresh lenses, or journeying into the untold stories of humanity.

The word itself speaks to the unexplored, the undiscovered, and the unconventional. We thus invite you to interpret this theme in whatever way resonates with you: as a voyage into the unknown, an exploration of personal experience, or a celebration of the limitless sphere of imagination. Whatever your medium, whatever your story, we want to see it. Share your most daring, beautiful, and heartfelt work, that together, we shall uncover the hidden mysteries, joys, pains, glories, and many more waiting to be found.

Note: For works under reviews, you can review movies, albums, novels or performances without necessarily having any direct relation to the theme.

Categories

Submissions are welcome in the following categories:

1. Poetry & Short Stories

2. Reviews & Essays (movies, albums, performances, novels)

3. Visual Arts (photography, illustration, drawings and paintings.)

Cash Prizes

A total of ₦150,000 will be distributed across the three categories:

• ₦30,000 for winners in each category.

• ₦20,000 for runners-up in each category.

Eligibility Requirements

Open to all poets, writers, reviewers, essayists, photographers, illustrators, designers, and artists of any medium.

Submission Guidelines

• Entries must be original, unpublished works.
• Entrants must follow Pawners Paper and IPIN accounts on Instagram and Facebook. Pawners Paper (Instagram: pawnerspapermag | Facebook: Pawners Paper), Intellectual Property Institute Nigeria (Instagram: ipinstitue_ng | Facebook: Intellectual Property Institute Nigeria
• Multiple entries and simultaneous submission are not allowed.
• Submissions must be in English (literary works) and high-resolution digital formats (visual arts).
• Submissions must be sent directly to pawnerspaper@gmail.com
• The subject must state the “Title of the work” and the “ Category of work” E.g “Uncharted —Poetry Category”
• Your work must be sent as an attachment with a short bio detailing your full name and the title of your work in the body of the mail.

For Poetry, Short Stories, Reviews and Essays

• Poetry: Maximum of 30 lines per poem; 1 poem per entrant.

• Short Stories: Between 1,000 and 2,500 words.

• Reviews & Essays: Between 1,000 and 2,000 words.

• All written works must be submitted in Word Format using 12pt Times New Roman, double-spaced.

For Visual Art

• Accepted works include photography, illustration, digital art, paintings and, drawings.

• Entries must be submitted as high-quality images.

Timeline

• Announcement & Call for Entries: September 12, 2025

• Submission Period: September 12–26, 2025 (2 weeks)

• Judging & Selection: September 27–30, 2025 (1 week)

• Winner Announcement: October 2, 2025

Review & Judging

• All submissions will be fairly reviewed and judged based on creativity, originality, and relation to theme.

Contact Information

For inquiries, submissions, or clarifications, reach us at: pawnerspaper@gmail.com, +234 906 952 4912