Nigeria LNG has opened entries for two of its 2026 prizes — the long-running Nigeria Prize for Literature and the brand new Nigeria Prize for Creative Arts — and the calls are worth your full attention. Together, they represent one of the most significant investment in Nigerian creative excellence currently on offer, with a combined prize pool of $120,000 and a mandate that spans poetry books and documentary films. If you are a Nigerian writer or filmmaker, the clock is already running.

The Nigeria Prize for Literature, worth $100,000, this year focuses on poetry. The prize rotates across four literary genres: prose fiction, poetry, drama, and children’s literature, and this cycle belongs to the poets. To be eligible, your poetry collection must have been published no earlier than 2023, and the competition is open exclusively to Nigerian writers regardless of where in the world they live. Twelve physical copies of the entry, an e-copy, and proof of Nigerian citizenship must be submitted alongside a completed application form, which is available on the official Nigeria Prizes website. Entries can be sent to NLNG’s offices in Port Harcourt, Lagos, or London. The deadline is 31 March 2026 at 23:59 WAT.

The Nigeria Prize for Creative Arts is an entirely new addition to the Nigeria Prizes family, and its inaugural focus is documentary filmmaking. Carrying a $20,000 award, the prize is open to Nigerian filmmakers between the ages of 18 and 35, wherever they reside. This year’s theme is Identity; an invitation to explore, through documentary film, who we are as individuals, communities, and cultures, and how our identities shape our understanding of the world. Eligible films must be short non-fiction documentaries of no more than 20 minutes, completed between April 2024 and April 2026, and AI-generated imagery or music will not be accepted. The prize is looking specifically for character-driven work, that is, documentaries anchored in individuals, communities, or ideas whose journeys create genuine emotional connection with the audience. Submissions are made here, and must be accompanied by a Short Artistic Statement of no more than 250 words. The deadline for Creative Arts entries is April 2026.

Both prizes are administered by NLNG’s External Relations Division and are awarded for creative excellence and nothing else. There are no entry fees for either prize. Nigerian poets should visit www.thenigeriaprizes.org to download the application form, and Nigerian documentary filmmakers should head to FilmFreeway via the same website to submit. If you have been sitting on a poetry collection or a documentary film that you believe in, now is the time to send it in.