‘Borders’ Writing Competition

We are delighted to announce the results of our writing competition on the theme of ‘Borders’, which marked the launch of MAPS on 3 September 2021 and coincided with our inaugural conference, Breaking Boundaries: Reimagining Borders in Postcolonial and Migrant Studies.

The winner of our £100 prize is Summer Walker-Barnes for her short story ‘Pixie’. And our runner-up is Ojo Taiye for his poems the news of a migrant father and his daughter who drowned in Rio Grande as they were crossing from Mexico into Texas is broadcast in the metro' and 'Sonnet for the fallen at Rio Grande'.

Summer Walker-Barnes is a writer, filmmaker, and sad song over-player. She is currently studying on a master’s degree in Creative Writing for Children and Young Adults at Manchester Metropolitan University and working on her first novel, a comedic feminist fantasy for young adults about the power of friendship (and dragons). Summer tells us that ‘Winning the MAPS 2021 Writing Competition was such an unexpected joy, and knowing that the story was able to express the important themes covered by the conference has given me a lot of confidence for my future writing projects.’

Summer Walker-Barnes - short story‌

Our runner-up is Ojo Taiye for his poems the news of a migrant father and his daughter who drowned in Rio Grande as they were crossing from Mexico into Texas is broadcast in the metro' and 'Sonnet for the fallen at Rio Grande'.

Ojo Taiye is a young Nigerian artist who uses poetry as a tool to hide his frustration with society. He also makes use of collage and sample technique. He is the winner of many prestigious awards including the 2021 Hay Writer's Circle Poetry Competition, 2021 Cathalbui Poetry Competition, Ireland.

Ojo Taiye's Poems‌