Nigerian-born poet Adeniyi Odukoya has received an honorable mention in the 2026 Vanderbilt University Literary Prize, an annual U.S. award that recognizes outstanding full-length poetry manuscripts. Vanderbilt University announced the honorees after reviewing nearly 400 submissions from poets in the United States and abroad.
The Vanderbilt University Literary Prize, established to spotlight emerging and established voices in contemporary poetry, is judged through a blind review process by a panel of poets and scholars. The university said this year’s submissions reflected “exceptional range and craft,” noting that honorable mentions highlight manuscripts that demonstrated remarkable artistic promise.
Odukoya, who is completing a Master of Fine Arts in Literary Arts at Brown University, was named alongside Gabriel Fine, Stefania Gomez, Meg Day, Maja Lukic, Maggie Queeney, Brandon Thurman and Christell Victoria Roach. Brown University’s Literary Arts MFA is widely regarded as one of the most competitive creative writing programs in the United States, drawing writers from around the world.
The prize was awarded to Jane Huffman for her manuscript Dilemma, which Vanderbilt University Press will publish in March 2027.
Odukoya said the recognition adds to nearly a decade of steady acknowledgment of his work. His poem “Food is Peace” won the Food Poetry Prize from Poets in Nigeria in 2018, selected from more than 150 entries for its exploration of poverty and food insecurity. His debut chapbook, Preserve This Light, was one of six chosen for publication by Poets in Nigeria in 2021.
His poems have appeared in Roadrunner Review, Palette Poetry, The Shore, Olongo Africa and the Cincinnati Review. He has also built a parallel career as a critic, with reviews of works by D.M. Aderibigbe and Canisia Lubrin published in World Literature Today, the journal that administers the Neustadt International Prize for Literature.
Literary observers in Nigeria say Odukoya’s recognition underscores the growing visibility of African poets in North American literary spaces, where Nigerian writers continue to gain traction for their innovative approaches to language and form. Honorable mentions in the Vanderbilt Prize often signal manuscripts that are strong contenders for future publication, giving emerging poets increased visibility among editors and literary institutions.
Odukoya is expected to complete his MFA program in December 2026, and colleagues say he is preparing new work that expands his interest in social justice, memory and the politics of everyday life.
