The 11 winners of the 2025 AVBOB Poetry Competition, one from each of South Africa’s official written languages, were honoured at the AVBOB Poetry Gala on Thursday, 1 October 2026, at Pretoria Country Club. The event celebrated South Africa’s rich cultural diversity and reaffirmed AVBOB’s commitment to preserving and promoting the country’s linguistic heritage through poetry.
 
The keynote address was delivered by AVBOB’s newly appointed Group CEO, Eugene Strauss. He shared “the AVBOB Poetry Project creates a space where people can contribute something of themselves to a much larger conversation. It creates opportunities for experiences to be shared, for languages to be preserved and celebrated and for people from different backgrounds to encounter perspectives that may be very different from their own.”
Guests were entertained by Maremo Violin (Maremo Seabela) and Jude Harpstar, a popular violin-and-harp duo. Their performance set the tone for the evening and the host Heidi Giokos, an award-winning journalist and news anchor.
 
Reflecting on South Africa’s recent Heritage Day celebrations, Giokos paid tribute to the country’s vibrant and diverse poetry landscape and encouraged poets to “Dig deep and join the conversation.” She said: “Poetry provides us with the tools to explore and reorient ourselves in the world, to reimagine where we have come from and where we might be going. Poetry offers us a chance to express our deepest feelings, to bypass logic and dogma, and to become more open to experience and new understanding.”
 
Each language-category winner received a R10 000 cash prize, a R2 500 book voucher and an elegant trophy.
 
Introduced at last year’s gala in honour of AVBOB’s late Editor-in-Chief, Johann de Lange, the JdL Award for Poetry this year recognised two collections: Asindeton by Joan Hambidge (Afrikaans) and Monokotshwai by Sekhobo Moshe (Sesotho).
 
Paying tribute to de Lange, Giokos said: “Johann was a visionary whose dedication remains an inspiration to us today.” She added that it was fitting for the award to be presented to Joan Hambidge, arguably de Lange’s closest friend. A multi-award-winning writer, Hambidge has made an immense contribution to Afrikaans literature, publishing more than 30 poetry collections over the past 40 years.
 
Sesotho JdL Award winner Sekhobo Moshe is a poet, novelist and dramatist who has served as praise poet to the Premier of the Free State and the national football coach. The judges described Monokotshwai as a collection of exceptional creativity, originality and literary artistry.
 
Each gala guest received a copy of the annual anthology, I Wish I’d Said… Vol. 9, launched at the event. It features the top six poems in each language, each accompanied by an English translation, as well as a selection of commissioned poems. The anthology was compiled by Guest Editor Joan Hambidge and Assistant Editors Douglas Reid Skinner and Katjie Sponono Mahlangu. 
 
To order I Wish I’d Said… Vol. 9, SMS ‘POEM’ to 48423 (standard SMS cost: R1,50) and have the anthology posted to you for a total of R260. Alternatively, email your order to tertia@naledi.co.za or purchase it from selected bookstores.
 
Visit www.avbobpoetry.co.za to explore the AVBOB Poetry Library and register for the 10^th AVBOB Poetry Competition, open for entries until 30 November 2026.
 
The winners and runners-up in the 2025 AVBOB Poetry Competition, listed alphabetically by language category, are:
 

Afrikaans winner	Name: Magda van der Merwe  Poem: aletta magdalena
Runners-up	Second place	Third place	Fourth place	Fifth place	Sixth place
Poet	Heidi Papadopoulos	Imarie Oberholzer	Allan Maasdorp	Anne-Marie Bartie	Annami Simon
Poem	ʼn Gasvrye graf	Al die vrae wat jy nie kon antwoord nie	Terminaal	reisgenoot	Tydsbegrip

 
 

English winner	Name: Erica Bartholomae  Poem: Trust
Runners-up	Second place	Third place	Fourth place	Fifth place	Sixth place
Poet	Stephanie Barnardt	Joan Hambidge	Jessica Chriseldah Sibiya	Archie Swanson	Bongani Ndimande
Poem	Anchor and Axiom	Ode to My Hairdresser	She Who Remained (For Neria)	the Irishman	The Letter She Left

 
 

isiNdebele winner	Name: Nhlanhla Mahlangu  Poem: Imbewu ehle
Runners-up	Second place	Third place	Fourth place	Fifth place	Sixth place
Poet	Nkosinathi Mduduzi Gembe	Elizabeth Masuku	Stephan Sibanyoni	Queen Nomfundo Thugwana	WeJohannes Mduduzi Mahlangu
Poem	Mbala! Uyithumbile	Salani Nekesi	USomnini uzokuthwalela ijoga	Igama lami litonyuliwe	Umphefumul’ Omncani

 
 

isiXhosa winner	Name: Unathi Mphikiswa  Poem: Iinkumbulo
Runners-up	Second place	Third place	Fourth place	Fifth place	Sixth place
Poet	Anelisa Thengimfene	Tsepiso Nzayo	Goodness Zoko	Felicity Titise	Phathiswa Boy
Poem	Umona	Ulwimi Lwam. Igolide Yam	Isingxobo sosana	Lutsha	Deda thikoloshe

 
 

isiZulu winner	Name: Thembinkosi Qwabe  Poem: Hawu kodwa mtanomuntu
Runners-up	Second place	Third place	Fourth place	Fifth place	Sixth place
Poet	Sizwe Alexis Zungu	Sipho Banda	Nokwazi Jili	Thandeka Nxumalo	Ncamisile Nobuhle  Hlabisa
Poem	Sengizidelil’ izicofiya zomhlaba!	Isihlahla semizwa yayizolo	Selifiphele nenkanyezi yokuthula	Walibangisa ekhaya	NgoJohann de Lange

 
 

Sepedi winner	Name: Mashoto Serepo  Poem: Mobu o utswitšwe
Runners-up	Second place	Third place	Fourth place	Fifth place	Sixth place
Poet	Diketso Mogoswane	Kgabo Sebatjane	Thapelo Matemana	Lethabo Zanele Nhlapo	Dingoepe Sannyboy Sepale
Poem	Mmagwe o llela letšobana la gagwe	Difeleng tša Sione	Mphihlišetše molaetša	Bophelo bja gago bo boile gabedi	O ikhuditše

 
 

Sesotho winner	Name: Sello Mofokeng  Poem: Athe wena o jwang?
Runners-up	Second place	Third place	Fourth place	Fifth place	Sixth place
Poet	Tlhokomelo Khusu	Moeketsi Golden Mokotjo	Lehlohonolo Bernard Mosoeu	Sello Mofokeng	Persevarance Pulane Thobatsi
Poem	Kgosatsana	Mofuthu wa lerato le letjha	Lefifi leo le ntse le tlo fela!	Na o twadi?	Ke tla fetoha

 
 

Setswana winner	Name: Mongweotsile Madube Methikga Tingwe  Poem: Tsala
Runners-up	Second place	Third place	Fourth place	Fifth place	Sixth place
Poet	Rethabile Mofokeng	Lebogang Mogapi	Molebatsi  Bosilong	Gomolemo Medupi	Prudance Gomotsegang Mthombeni
Poem	Boimana jwa bana	Bagologolwane	Bokhutlo	Tsholofelo	Lerato

 
 

Siswati winner	Name: Beketele Mahlalela  Poem: Atibuyang'emasisweni
Runners-up	Second place	Third place	Fourth place	Fifth place	Sixth place
Poet	Constance Marry Mkomi	Lusito Sandile Maziya	Kevin Magagula	Lusito Sandile Maziya	Walker  Mkhabela
Poem	Bengesaba kutsi bantfu batawutsini	Ngibonga Facebook	Nomalungelo	Umntfwana Usibusiso Lesivela KuNkulunkulu	Umona (breaking hate chains)

 
 

Tshivenḓa winner	Name: Domina Napoleon Munzhelele  Poem: Lufuno lwa Mubebikadzi
Runners-up	Second place	Third place	Fourth place	Fifth place	Sixth place
Poet	Bianca Godi	Azwihangwisi  Mafune	Khumbulo Mavhundu	Maanda Nedzingahe	Phathu Munyai
Poem	Lufu	Ṅwananga wo Nṱutshela	Ndi lini na fhano ro u lindela	Iwe lufu	Mmawe

 
 

Xitsonga winner	Name: Themba Patrick Magaisa  Poem: A ndzi nga si hola
Runners-up	Second place	Third place	Fourth place	Fifth place	Sixth place
Poet	Mufundhisi Thomas  Mthombeni	Knowledge Ntsako Ngobeni	Musa Masebenza	Caroline Valoyi	Patricia Ramodisa
Poem	Ximbhembhe	Wena N'waKhandlele	Hambi a Ndzo va Muvatli	Ndzi vuye ximandlamandla	Ri rhurhe khale