Nigeria creative arts and literature prizes announce finalists

The Nigeria Prize for Creative Arts and the Nigeria Prize for Literature have both announced their finalists for the 2026 editions. Sponsored by Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG), these awards recognize outstanding creative works by young Nigerians.

For the inaugural Nigeria Prize for Creative Arts, five documentary filmmakers have been shortlisted from an initial pool of 98 submissions. The finalists, focusing on the theme of ‘Identity’, are Peter Oghenetega-Oke for ‘Beyond Tarkwa Bay’, Feranmi Abiola for ‘Mara Mania’, Ummi Bukar for ‘No Food for Lazy Man’, Abraham Aiwuyuse for ‘Okrika’, and Jessica Chinyere for ‘Women of Salt: The Resilience of Ebonyi’s Women. The winner will receive $20,000.

In the Nigeria Prize for Literature, the competition for the $100,000 prize has narrowed to three poetry collections. The shortlisted authors are James Ngwu Eze for ‘Unbind Me Now’, Ogaga Ifowodo for ‘Why Does God Need A Gun?’, and Tares Oburumu for ‘Flora’s Love Colony’. These works were selected from 223 submissions. The winner is expected to be announced in October.