TY Buratai Literary Initiative announces zonal winners for 2025 prize edition
By Editor
TY Buratai Literary Initiative (TYBLI) has announced its longlist for the 2025 edition of the prize selected from 106 entries that were received for the 2025 Young Adult Literature writing competition. Another shortlist of three winners will be announced before the grand prize and awards ceremony on November 1, 2025.
The TY Buratai Literary Initiative (TYBLI) is a non‐profit project with the mission of promoting literacy, fostering a culture of reading, and supporting young writers, particularly in the genre of Young Adult Literature (YAL). TYBLI is an educational outreach and community give-back service initiated and sponsored by Lt. General TY Buratai (Rtd.).
One of the key activities of the initiative is the Book Placement programme whereby mini-libraries are created in form of ‘book boxes.’ Beneficiaries of this initiative are normally underserved schools, aimed at improving their access to age-appropriate leisure reading materials. In 2024, TYBLI placed book boxes in three schools across Nasarawa State and the FCT.
However, the most prominent activity under the TYBLI is the Young Adult Literature Prize (YALP), a story writing prize to discover and reward emerging writers in the young adult genre. In its maiden awards in 2024, the initiative celebrated writing for young adults with Taofeek Olatunbosun bagging the grand prize of N1 million. Other zonal winners received N250 each.
The regional winners in 2024 were Sima Essien from South South (Dream Walker), Micheal Ighonekwu’s Mysteries of the Haunted House won from South East, Bilqisu Abubakar’s The Last Sacrifice (North West), Olatunbosun Taofeek’s Truth and Dare (South West), Hajarah Bashar’s Portraiture of A Dreamer (North Central) and Yohanna Daniel’s The Northern Boy (North East). Three of those made it to the final – Taofeek’s Truth and Dare, Bashar’s Portraiture of a Dreamer and Daniel’s The Northern Boy, with Taofeek’s Truth and Dare finally emerging as the winning story.
Winner 2024, Dr. Olatunbosun Taofeek
In addition to the cash prizes, an anthology comprising the best 10 entries from the 2024 YALP competition is published to the delight of contestants. Copies of the anthology will be distributed to secondary and tertiary institutions nationwide, thereby immortalizing literary works of the writers.
The prize money for YALP this year has been increased, as the Chairperson, Dr. Lizi Ben Iheanacho announced the increase during the roll out of TYBLI’s 2025 programme of events earlier this year. The grand prize will now be N1.5 million while the six zonal winners will receive N500 each. Also, the initiative expanded its book placement reach in 2025 by donating mobile libraries containing at least 40 assorted books to Girau International School, Kaduna, as part of its school outreach. Other beneficiaries were LGEA Unguwar Sarki School, Kaduna, School for The Gifted, Gwagwalada, Air Force Girls Comprehensive School, Abuja and Nasarawa State University, Uke, Keffi.
After the panel of judges careful evaluated the 106 entries, the TYBLI has announced its long-list of six zonal winners and their works. The top three finalists will be announced later in October and the grand prize award slated for November 1, 2025.
Thee finalists are Adoo Gyuur’s Daughters of Ashes (North Central), Daniel Yohanna’s A Boy From Far North (North East), ER Umukoro’s The Distortion of Hardassah (South South), Ikemefuna Chinenyike Lawrence Ezemagu’s Garden of Garget (South East), Sarah Yousuph’s When the Road Curves (South West) and Yusrah Bashir Gaga’s My Darkest Nightmares (North West).
The chairperson, Dr. Ihenacho has expressed appreciation to all 106 entrants while wishing them the best of luck as November 1 draws near. She described their contributions as valuable, noting that even if a work is not shortlisted, TYBLI encourages young adults to continue writing.
