NLNG prize for literature surpasses entry records
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NLNG prize for literature surpasses entry records
The Nigeria Prize for Literature, sponsored by Nigeria LNG Limited, has hit a historic high, receiving a record-breaking 252 entries for its 2025 edition.
This record-breaking number exceeds the 2024 total of 163 entries and the 2021 Prose Fiction cycle’s 202, reflecting a surge in Nigeria’s literary creativity.
The prestigious literature prize, which is now in its 21st year, rotates among Prose Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Children’s Literature, offering a $100,000 cash award.
This was made known on Tuesday during the 2025 Nigeria Prize for Literature Handover of Entries Ceremony, held in Lagos.
Representing NLNG’s General Manager for External Relations and Sustainable Development, Sophia Horsfall, Manager of Corporate Communication and Public Affairs, Anne-Marie Palmer-Ikuku, officially handed over the entries to the Advisory Board led by renowned literary scholar and past winner, Prof. Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo.
The entries were subsequently presented to the panel of judges, signalling the commencement of what has been described as one of the most competitive adjudication processes in the history of the Prize.
Speaking at the event, Horsfall said the unprecedented volume of entries was a testament to the growing creative energy within Nigeria’s literary space.
She added that the 2025 submissions surpassed the 2024 total of 163 entries and even the 2021 Prose Fiction cycle, which had 202 entries.
She said, “There is clearly a surge in literary creativity, demonstrating a reinvigorated passion for creative works and a deepened global awareness of Nigerian literature.
“This year’s record entries reaffirm the prize’s impact, proving that Nigerian literature is not only thriving but also commanding greater international recognition.”
She further noted, “Today’s handover ceremony is a proof of the ingenuity, dedication, and relentless drive of NLNG, our respected advisory boards and judges, and every writer who has entered either for the Literature prize or the Literary Criticism prize. Our commitment to advancing excellence in the quality of literature to improve reading and literacy appetite through these noble prizes is in consonance with NLNG’s aspiration of improving lives sustainably.”
Chairperson of the Advisory Board, Adimora-Ezeigbo, expressed confidence in the quality of this year’s submissions.
“We are optimistic that the calibre and volume of entries submitted this year will significantly elevate the quality of the competition. The diversity and depth of literary works submitted will make the adjudication process more compelling, while reaffirming the Prize’s unwavering commitment to literary excellence,” she said.
She urged the judging panel to maintain the highest standards of integrity and objectivity throughout the process.
The Board also revealed that 37 entries had been received for The Nigeria Prize for Literary Criticism, adding that the Literary Criticism Prize winner would receive $10,000.
The 2025 panel of judges is chaired by Prof. Saeedat Bolajoko Aliyu of the Department of English and Linguistics Studies, Kwara State University.
Other members include Prof. Mbanefo Ogene of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, and Mr Olakunle Kasumu, writer, filmmaker, and host of Channels Television’s Book Club.
Dr Grace Musila of the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, serves as the International Consultant.
Past winners in the Prose Fiction category include Kaine Agary (Yellow Yellow, 2008), Chika Unigwe (On Black Sisters’ Street, 2012), Abubakar Adam Ibrahim (Season of Crimson Blossoms, 2016), and Professor Cheluchi Onyemelukwe-Onuobia (The Son of the House, 2020/21).
Notably, the inaugural edition in 2004 had no winner.
Regarded as Africa’s most prestigious literary prize, and among the world’s richest, the Nigeria Prize for Literature continues to raise the bar for literary excellence.
Meanwhile, the winner of the Nigeria Prize for Literature, if any, will be announced at an award ceremony in October 2025.
