The Nigeria Prize for Literature has unveiled the longlist for its 2026 edition, placing eleven outstanding poetry collections in contention for the prestigious US$100,000 award. Announced in Lagos on Thursday, July 23, the longlist was selected from 223 submissions by the Advisory Board chaired by Professor Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo. Sponsored by Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG), the prize is widely regarded as Africa’s richest and most prestigious literary award. Since its inception in 2004, the award has rotated annually among four genres (fiction, poetry, drama, and children’s literature), with the 2026 edition dedicated to poetry. Previous winners in this category include Gabriel Okara, Tade Ipadeola, Ikeogu Oke, and Romeo Oriogun.
The 2026 longlist brings together a compelling mix of established literary voices and emerging poets. The selected collections are Adult Love by Tanure Ojaide, Bakandamiya: An Elegy by Saddiq Dzukogi, Black Passport: A Migrant’s Memoir by Paul Akpomuje, 2000 Blacks by Ajibola Tolase, Ceremony for the Nameless by Theresa Lola, Corpus: Animistic Verses by Ayo Oyeku, Flora’s Love Colony by Tares Oburumu, The Origin of Wounds by Rasaq Malik Gbolahan, The Years of Blood by Adedayo Agarau, Unbind Me Now by James Ugwu Eze, and Why Does God Need a Gun by Ogaga Ifowodo. According to Professor Adimora-Ezeigbo, the collections demonstrate poetry’s capacity to illuminate the human experience through reflection, cultural memory, and artistic expression while exploring themes of history, resilience, identity, violence, and social fragmentation. Following the announcement, several longlisted poets took to social media to celebrate the milestone, with Ayo Oyeku describing the recognition as a thrill and Saddiq Dzukogi expressing gratitude for having his work in contention for Nigeria’s highest literary honour.
The competition now enters its next stage as the panel of judges undertakes a closer evaluation of the longlisted works, assessing each collection for language, originality, form, and lasting literary merit. A shortlist of three titles is expected in August, while the overall winner will be announced in October and receive the coveted US$100,000 prize. As one of Africa’s most influential literary honours, the Nigeria Prize for Literature continues to showcase the richness and diversity of Nigerian writing, reaffirming poetry’s enduring role in shaping conversations around culture, memory, and the contemporary African experience.
Author
