June 21, 2018
By InvestAdvocate
Lagos (INVESTADVOCATE)-‘Devil Pawn’ a manuscript written almost ten years ago by Kukogho Iruesiri Samson has been selected as the winner of the Guaranty Trust Bank Plc (GTBank’) Dusty Manuscript Contest organized for budding Nigerian writers.
“The Orchid Protocol by Onoche Emeka Onyekwena and The Other Side of Truth by Nneoma Anieto, which came first and second runner-up respectively,” a statement from jspcommunication said.
The contest organized in partnership with Kachifo Ltd. and Okadabooks is the latest in a long line of GTBank’s YouREAD initiatives aimed at fostering the culture of reading and creating a platform for the appreciation of Africa’s literary excellence.
According to the statement, as part of the contest, Nigerians were invited to submit their unpublished stories and stand a chance to get publishing deals for their works. The contest received over 1,000 entries and had a panel of four judges made up of authors Eghosa Imasuen, Yejide Kilanko and Toni Kan and Assistant Professor of English, Dr Ainehi Edoro-Glines.
The authors of the top three manuscripts will be rewarded with 1,000,000, N500,000 and N250,000 respectively, as well as publishing contracts with Kachifo Ltd. “The authors of the 10 manuscripts also received e-publishing contracts with OkadaBooks, while the authors of the top 20 manuscripts were hosted to a two-day intensive writers boot-camp to sharpen their literary and business skills,” the statement added.
“Devil’s Pawn was a unanimous choice. Told in a fast paced narrative style that keeps you glued to the pages, the story is a gift that keeps giving,’’ lead judge Ainehi Edoro, said while commenting on the winning entry.
“The Orchid Protocol is an intriguing detective story, call it CSI Lagos and you won’t be too far off the mark,” said Eghosa Imasuen, one of the judges. “The Other Side of Truth presents a woman’s life, without judgement. In making the case for the novel a single word comes to me: Empathy,” added another judge, Toni Kan.
“At GTBank we see Art as not just a medium for creative expression but also as a means of livelihood, and by organizing the Dusty Manuscript Contest we are helping budding writers share their stories with the world whilst providing them with a platform to build successful writing careers,” Segun Agbaje, managing director of GTBank said while commenting on the competition.
The lender is regarded by industry watchers as one of the best run African financial institutions across its subsidiary countries and serves as a role model within the financial service industry due to its bias for world class corporate governance standards, excellent service quality and innovation. The Bank’s footprints in Corporate Social Responsibility are guided strategically by its decision to operate on four major pillars: Education, Community Development, Arts and the Environment, which it believes are essential building blocks for the society and prerequisites for economic growth and societal development.