Wakaso Poetry Prize, Mukhtar Aliyu Art Residency, others animate HCAF’s last quarter events
By Editor
THE Hill-Top Creative Arts Foundation (HCAF) has unveiled exciting creative art activities for the last quarter of the year that will interest youngsters across the country. HCAF is a prominent art organisation in Nigeria that focuses on teenagers, youths and young adults in mentoring and design of many art contests and programmes, including publishing their books for effective evolution into future professionals. It recently released its last quarter schedule for 2024.
Wakaso Poetry Prize is a quarterly poetry prize for female of not more than 25 years’ old in Nigeria. It is sponsored by Aisha Wakaso, a veteran journalist in Niger State which works towards creating a platform for young writers to gain recognition and foster a sense of community among young writers. An anthology would be produced for the four editions annually.
Minna Photography Contest, sponsored by Jonathan Kolo, the founder of Timeout4Africa Basketball and Education Foundation, is an art event that takes place three times a year. The contest provides opportunity for secondary school students to showcase their photography skills.
Mukhtar Aliyu Art Residency (MAAR) is one of the current four functional art residencies in Nigeria. It was launched in May this year with the first set of artists from Oyo and Kwara States. The second edition comes up in November 2024, with both editions being sponsored by Mr. Jonathan Kolo. it’s part of HCAF’s aims at developing young artists by providing them with dedicated time and space to focus on their creative work away from their usual environment. MAAR creates room for writers to experiment new ideas, support their networking experience and to nurture their creativity.
AS Abugi National Prize For Short Story is sponsored by Alkasim Abdulkadir, another international journalist from Niger State. It seeks to discover and promote new talents in story telling in Nigeria.
According to Zakiyyah Dzukogi, HCAF’s initiatives have had positive influence in the lives of young writers and artists whose innermost desire is to share their stories and have a voice through the force of art.
Founder of Hill-Top Creative Arts Foundation, Mallam BM Dzukogi
