No fewer than 800 young poets from Northern Nigeria have entered the 2026 edition of the Millennium Prime Solution Limited (MPS) Media Poetry Challenge, competing for the coveted Arewa Poet of the Year title.
The convener of the challenge and Founder/Chief Executive Officer of MPS Media, Prof. Ahmed Adamu, disclosed this in a statement on Friday.
Adamu said the entries came from the 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), reflecting growing interest in the competition.
He said the second edition built on the success of the inaugural contest held in Katsina in 2025, which featured more than 200 poetry performances and generated over 40 million digital views across 40 countries.n
According to him, many contestants from the maiden edition have become public speakers, mentors, content creators, peace ambassadors and role models in their communities.
He added that the competition had transformed previously unknown young talents into widely recognised personalities while inspiring thousands of youths to embrace creativity, confidence, leadership and positive storytelling.
Adamu said the 2026 edition would, for the first time, be televised to expand its reach and impact.
He said the competition would be broadcast by Liberty TV, Farin Wata TV and Saira Movies TV.
According to him, strategic partners for the event include the Wunti Al-Khair Foundation as co-sponsor, Syda Tech Nigeria as the official voting partner and the Abu Arief Community Development Foundation as the official transport partner for contestants from Yobe State.
The MPS Media Poetry Challenge has also expanded into a regional competition covering the 19 northern states and the FCT.
Under the new format, the contest will be held in three zonal stages before the regional finals in Abuja.
The North-East zonal competition will hold in Bauchi State from Aug. 8 to Aug. 15, while the North-West stage will take place at the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Hall in Kaduna from Sept. 12 to Sept. 18.
The North-Central zonal competition is scheduled for Nasarawa State in October.
The regional quarter-finals, semi-finals and grand finale will be held in Abuja in November.
Contestants will compete through blind auditions, battle rounds and knockout stages, with successful participants from the three zones advancing to the Abuja finals.
Adamu said the initiative had become one of Northern Nigeria’s leading platforms for creative expression and youth empowerment.
He said the competition was designed to promote peace, unity and social cohesion, discover and nurture literary talents, preserve the cultural heritage of Arewa, encourage ethical leadership and responsible citizenship, amplify young people’s voices on community issues and create opportunities within the creative economy.
