The Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Prize for Literature has announced its 2019 longlist, led by I Do Not Come to You by Chance novelist Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani and previous prize finalist Jude Idada.
At $100,000, the NLNG Prize for Literature is the richest in Africa, and honours a published book. Founded in 2004, it rotates yearly among four genres: poetry, prose fiction, drama, and children’s literature. This year is for children’s literature.
Here are the eleven books longlisted from 173 submissions:
- A Hero’s Welcome, Ndidi Enenmor
- Boom, Boom, Jude Idada
- Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree, Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani
- Double ‘A’ for Adventure, Anisa Daniel-Oniko
- Ginika’s Adventures, Nnena Ochiche
- Igho Goes to Farm, Anote Ajeluorou
- Mystery at Ebenezer’s Lodge, Dunni Olatunde
- Obioma: A Girl’s Journey to Self-Discovery, Nkiru Uzoh
- She Calls Him Daddy, Oladele Medaiyese
- Spurred Surprises, Lami Adejoh Opawale
- The Great Walls of Benin, O. T. Begho
The 2019 judges are Asabe Usman Kabir, professor of Oral and African Literatures at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto; Patrick Oloko, Senior Lecturer in African postcolonial literature, gender and cultural studies at the University of Lagos; and the chair Obodimma Oha, professor of Cultural Semiotics and Stylistics at the University of Ibadan.
The shortlist of three will be announced in September, and the winner in October.
Previous winners of the NLNG Prize include Gabriel Okara and Ezenwa Ohaeto (2004, poetry); Ahmed Yerima (2005, drama); Mabel Segun and Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo (2007, children’s literature); Kaine Agary (2008, prose); Esiaba Irobi (2010, drama); Adeleke Adeyemi (2011, children’s literature); Chika Unigwe (2012, prose); Tade Ipadeola (2013, poetry); Sam Ukala (2014, drama); Abubakar Adam Ibrahim (2016, prose); Ikeogu Oke (2017, poetry); and Soji Cole (2018, drama).
The 2020 prize will be for prose fiction.
Congratulations to the eleven longlisted writers.
COMMENTS -
Reader Interactions