International Cameroonian Creative Geraldine Sinyuy (PhD) gives the Writing Ukraine Prize final verdict.

When I first received an email stipulating that I was going to be one of the judges for the Writing Ukraine International Poetry Competition, I was thrown off balance for it was the first time in my life that I had been nominated to carry on such an assignment at an international level. So many questions raced through my mind as to whether I was actually going to do that job, and YES, I was going to do it and I did it. Every examination has its guiding principles, and so was the Writing Ukraine International Poetry Competition. The criteria for evaluation was there to act as a lamp on my path of the journey as a judge. I wouldn’t say that the exercise went smoothly without anxiety, for there were moments I found out that the entries were like a million bees, battling their way to the nectar of a single blossom of a flower. I was eager to get to the end of the exercise and see who the winner would be because the wave of the competition was tight, and its impetus was one of its kind. The competitors all had the conviction that they would win, even though the drive to win wasn’t the primary motivation, rather, what urged them onto writing was that deep- rooted desire that is found in almost every committed writer, to pick up their pens for a just cause. There were moments I shed silent tears because the poems gave vivid pictures of the destruction that was going on in Kiev and the rest of Ukraine. I found myself in Ukraine, walking through the torn streets, shoving earth to conceal the souls slashed by the monstrous missiles—the bullets, the bombs, the fires. I followed the displaced people of Ukraine as they walked through the rough and rocky paths in search of a safe land that would embrace them. I identified with the people in Ukraine because in my part of the country there has been war and it’s still raging on. Many have been rendered homeless, thousands killed and untold numbers rendered orphans, widows, widowers, childless etc. That notwithstanding, I want to congratulate those who made it to the top, but they shouldn’t relax for success is a journey and not a destination. For those who happened not to make it to the top, I want to encourage them to keep working for failure to reach the finishing line doesn’t mean that they didn’t produce great work, rather, it was because the degree of the competition was high. The gap between the winners and most of those who did not make it is very close- Finalist Jury Member  Geraldine Sinyuy(PhD)

The Jury Panel passed their Writing Ukraine Prize Longlist Verdict

Judging the large number of entries we received was for me a rewarding process for several reasons. First, it was fascinating to sift through the tremendous variety, and listen to the many voices that spoke out of the poems. Second, it was gratifying to praise genuinely well-crafted pieces, the very best of which have a touch of brilliance. Lastly, the variety itself confirmed the idea I’ve always entertained that poems can be their very own thing. Of the submitted works, some drew on oral traditions, or holy books and prayers, or on established formal schemes and elements. Some demonstrated courageous experimentation, while others reflected the spirit and determination of rap lyrics. It’s all good, as many of these poems showed me. I’m exceedingly grateful for having had the opportunity to read and learn from them-(Commentary by Writing Ukraine Prize Jury Member Dr. Olga Stein,)