IGSOSANA Liberal Arts Competition
2026 RULES OF THE ESSAY COMPETITION FOR IGS SENIOR STUDENTS
IGSOSANA Liberal Arts Academy is organizing this year’s Literary Arts competition in creative writing and poetry recitation categories to promote skills in critical thinking, communication, self-expression, innovative research, public speaking and lifelong learning for IGS students.
This year, participants will choose to participate in either the essay writing or poetry recitations in English and Yoruba of the provided poems.
Participants in the writing category will attend a writing workshop before the competition. This workshop is also open to other students in the school.
Eligibility
Only all SS1 to SS3 students attending Ibadan Grammar School, Molete, Ibadan can take part.
2026 Creative Writing
SHORT STORY
This year, emphasis is on story writing with intention, taking readers through sensory details and descriptive language, instead of summarizing the story.
This focus aims at inspiring students to engage in creative writing; use their imagination to express their thoughts and feelings in a healthy way; draw inspiration from personal life, newspaper headlines, and other works of art.
SUBMISSION DUE DATE: March 28th, 2026
2026 Poems for Recitation
- STILL I RISE by Maya Angelou
- HEARTY GARLANDS by S.O.H. Afriye-Vidza
Yoruba Poem: Stay tuned
How to Write A SHort Story
Rules for the Contest
- Essay must be written in English only.
- The completed essay should contain a minimum of 750 and a maximum of 1000 words.
- Essays must be typed in 12pt Microsoft Word or similar program and sent in electronic format
- Essays should not have been previously published or considered for publication
- Essays should be written by the student him/herself with no aid.
- If the story contains any kind of plagiarism, IGSOSANA will disqualify the candidates immediately.
- One submission per student
- Essays should be accompanied by a cover page with the name of the student, class, age and contact details.
Rules for the POETRY Contest
- Participants will recite 2 presented poems
- The poems will be recited with accuracy and show an understanding of the content of the poems.
- Participants should communicate their understanding of the poems through proper articulation, voice interpretation, expressions and body expressions as needed.
- No musical accompaniment please.
- Participants may use musical accompaniment for the Yoruba poem.
- Recitation of the poems will be in front of a panel of adjudicators.
POEM RECITATION SAMPLE
How to Write A Good Essay
Rules for the Contest
- Essay must be written in English only.
- The completed essay should contain a minimum of 750 and a maximum of 1000 words.
- Essays must be typed in 12pt Microsoft Word or similar program and sent in electronic format
- Essays should not have been previously published or considered for publication
- Essays should be written by the student him/herself with no aid.
- If the essay contains any kind of plagiarism, IGSOSANA will disqualify the candidates immediately.
- A recording of each essay by the essay writer
- One submission per student
- Essays should be accompanied by a cover page with the name of the student, class, age and contact details.
- The student may add an image or quotes from other sources to their essay if they wish. In this case, it is important to state the source of the image or quote.
Rules for the POETRY Contest
- Participants will recite 2 presented poems
- The poems will be recited with accuracy and show an understanding of the content of the poems.
- Participants should communicate their understanding of the poems through proper articulation, voice interpretation, expressions and body expressions as needed.
- No musical accompaniment please.
- Recitation of the poems will be in front of a panel of adjudicators.
POEM RECITATION SAMPLE
Evaluation Criteria
Story Writing
Story setting clearly identified (10%)
Well defined plot (20%)
Character development; engaging with thoughts, feelings and emotions (20%)
Writing styles: inclusion of dialogue as against reportage (10%)
Use of Language: Wide range of descriptive language; tense of story; verb/tense agreement; literary devices such as simile, metaphor, and alliteration. (20%)
Overall effect: Does the story flow? Is it coherent? Is it entertaining? (10%)
Originality (10%)
Furthermore, the candidates should take their time and edit their completed writings before submitting them. A small grammatical error or a tiny typo can keep them far from getting a prize.
Evaluation Criteria
Poetry Recitation
Physical appearance 10%
Accuracy 20%
Articulation & Voice modulation 20%
Evidence of content/Interpretation 20%
Stage presence and delivery 10%
Overall performance 20%
Participants should prepare well for their presentations before the panel of adjudicators. A resource person will be available for guidance on preparations for poetry recitation.
What is Plagirism?
Other Provisions
Submission of a story and/or participation in the organization of the completion/jury assumes the acceptance of all the conditions of the competition
- No appeal on the results of the competition will be accepted. The jury’s decisions will be final
- IGSOSANA and IGS will keep all essays/stories submitted
- IGSOSANA will retain the copyright of the winning essays and may publish them
- IGSOSANA can amend the timeline of the writing submissions and selection process
- IGSOSANA cannot be held responsible should the competition have to be modified or canceled
Awards Per Class-set
The winners (first, second and third place) will be awarded at a special ceremony to be held in the school in June 2025. Their essays will be published by IGSOSANA in a booklet and/or online communication platforms.
Three authors per class-set from the winning essays will get cash prizes. To qualify for cash prizes, a candidate must score 60 and above.
- 1st place – N25,000 (The candidate must have a total score of 80 and above)
- 2nd place – N15,000 (The candidate must have a total score of 70 and above)
- 3rd place – N10,000 (The candidate must have a total score of 60 and above)
10 Consolation Prizes/Class-Set (N2,500)
All participants will receive a Certificate of Participation.
POETRY RECITATION
There will only be a set of winners overall
- 1st place – 25,000
- 2nd place – 15,000
- 3rd place – 10,000
10 consolation prizes (2,500 each)
All poetry recitation participants will receive a Certificate of Participation5
How to use Microsoft Word
Submit Your Story
The candidates should either send their finished writing to [email protected] with Creative Story Writing 2025 in the email’s subject or submit by clicking the button. The deadline for submission is March 28th, 2025: