It was started by Beverley Nambozo in 2008 as a prize for Ugandan women.
[1][2] But in 2014, it opened its doors to men and the entire Africa continent.
[3][4] The first Beverley Nambozo Poetry Award was held in 2009.
[5][6][7] The BN poetry award begun in 2009, as a prize for short, unpublished poems in English by Ugandan women.
[10] The winning poems from 2009 to 2013 were published in an anthology, A Thousand Voices Rising: An anthology of contemporary African poetry.