The Future Project has nominated Eloghosa Osunde, Tj Benson, Arinze Ifeakandu, Chigozie Obi, Mayowa ‘Shutabug’ Alabi, and Niyi Okeowo for the Future Awards Africa Prize for Art & Literature.

The idea for Future Awards was conceived by founders Chude Jideonwo and Adebola Williams, alongside Emilia Asim-Ita in 2005.

The award recognizes and celebrates figures in a myriad of fields, between the ages of 18 and 31, who have done remarkable work during the past year.

Speaking of remarkable works, below are brief profiles of the nominees and a few of their many achievements:

Arinze Ifeakandu

Arinze Ifeakandu was a Caine Prize finalist in 2017, and also Public Space Writing Fellow. He graduated from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop where he was the winner of the 2018 Richard Yates Short Story Contest. 

Arinze was shortlisted for The Caine Prize in 2017, and was the winner of a 2015 A Public Space Emerging Writer Fellowship, for his story “God’s Children Are Little Broken Things,” prior to that.

Arinze Ifeakandu’s short story collection God’s Children Are Little Broken Things will be published in June 2022, by A Public Space Books. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at Florida State University

In this interview with Adaeze Nwadike (Arts Lounge) last year, he talks about himself, a few secrets, and his affiliation with literary art.

Tj Benson

TJ Benson is a writer and visual artist who explores the body in the context of memory, migration, utopia, and the unconscious self. His works have been exhibited, published in several journals, and shortlisted for awards; he won the Amab-HBF Prize in 2015 and was the first runner-up for the Short Story Day Africa Prize.

His first novel, ‘The Madhouse’, was published by Masobe Books in February 2021, and his new novel, ‘People Live Here’ will be published by Masobe Books in the third quarter of 2022. He currently lives in an apartment full of plants in Kaduna, Nigeria.

In April last year, Ernest Ogunyemi (Open Country Magazine) painted a rich profile of the author and The Madhouse.

Eloghosa Osunde

Eloghosa Osunde is a Nigerian writer and visual artist, an alumna of the Farafina Creative Writing Workshop, the Caine Prize Workshop, and the filmmaking and screenwriting programs at the New York Film Academy. 

Her short stories have been longlisted for the 2017 Writivism Short Story Prize and published in Catapult, Guernica, Berlin Quarterly, and The Paris Review where she has a column, with forthcoming stories in The Georgia Review and Gulf Coast. She is the winner of the 2021 Paris Review Plimpton Prize for Fiction.

Ama Kwarteng interviewed Eghosa last year. You would like to read it. Click here

Niyi Okeowo

Niyi Okeowo is a multidisciplinary art director and photographer based in Lagos, Nigeria. 

His focus lies in art direction, branding, and photography, with over 8 years of experience. He has worked with numerous established brands and startups to create experiences, identities, and visuals. When he isn’t working on client-related projects, he creates colorful illustrations under the moniker @hellomrcolor.

In this interview with Emmanuel Esomnofu (for Okay Africa) a while ago, he spills a thing or two about himself, and his affiliation with the arts.

Mayowa ‘Shutabug’ Alabi

Mayowa Alabi is a multidisciplinary creative with strengths in graphic and motion design, photography, cinematography, and vector illustrations. He started his digital illustration journey in 2016 and has made some giant strides, including winning the European Union/United Nations Women Gender Equality Picture It Comic & Cartoon competition in 2017, making mural illustrations for Facebook’s NG_Hub, Gokada’s Office, FCMB’s Hub One, and working with BBC Africa.

In this interview with OlufemiFadahunsi (for Zikoko) a while ago, he spills a thing or two about himself, and his affiliation with the arts

Chigozie Obi

Lagos-based artist Obi Chigozie creates paintings, drawings, and digital illustrations employing oil as her primary medium. Born in 1997, Obi holds a BA in Visual Arts from the University of Lagos.

Obi incorporates color, figures, and portraits to convey ideas that often reflect on the issues she faces and matters that affect the people around her. Emotion is a big influence on Obi and when studying her work, she intends to make the viewers feel the vehemence the subject carries. The Creation of Eve, I and II authenticate her keen interest in the human aspect of life and the strive for self-acceptance. She compliments this focus with her portrait works by analyzing the society – the cultural narratives adopted and how it affects people in it, especially females.

Obi’s works have been featured at the first Affordable Art Fair (2018) held in Ibadan, Nigeria, and the Rasheed GbadamosiEko Art Expo (2017) in Lagos. Group exhibitions include Rele in Lekki, Lagos (2018) and The Studio Scout, Omenka Gallery, Lagos (2018).

In this interview with Art X Lagos a while ago, she spills a thing or two about herself, and her affiliation with the arts.