2026 Call for Entry

Entries are hereby invited for The Nigeria Prize for Literature. The yearly literature prize is sponsored by NLNG to honour the author of the best book by a Nigerian.

The prize rotates among four literary genres - Prose Fiction, Poetry, Drama and Children’s Literature. This year, the competition is for Poetry.

SUBMISSION PROCEDURE

• All applicants must submit their entries accompanied by an application form obtainable online from The Nigeria Prizes website, www.thenigeriaprizes.org.
• Completed forms must be printed and submitted along with the entries.
• Go to www.thenigeriaprizes.org for more details on submission.
• Twelve (12) copies of entry and an e-copy of each entry, with evidence of Nigerian citizenship (photocopy of Nigerian passport or National Identity Card), may be submitted either by author or publisher.
• Books should be submitted to NLNG’s External Relations Division, promoters of the prize, by the stipulated deadline.
• No book published before 2023 will be accepted.
• An author will enter only one published work.
• Unpublished work will not be considered.
• No book previously submitted for this competition may be re-submitted at a later date, even if major revisions have been made or a new edition published.
• The prize will be awarded for no other reason than excellence.
• No member of the Advisory Board, Panel of Judges and members of their immediate families can enter their work(s) for the award in the period in which they are serving and five (5) years thereafter.
• No entries will be accepted from staff of NLNG and their immediate families.
• No entry submitted after the stipulated deadline will be accepted.
• Failure to meet all stated conditions above will lead to disqualification of the entry.
• The competition is exclusively for Nigerian writers, regardless of where they reside.
• Applicants must be willing to participate in the Prize activities and public events, and media exposure opportunities, including interviews, media tours, and book readings.

Entries should be sent to:

The Nigeria Prize for Literature Secretariat
External Relations Division,
NLNG Corporate Head Office
NLNG Road, Eastern By-Pass,
Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.

The Nigeria Prize for Literature Secretariat
External Relations Division,
NLNG Lagos transit office
38 Oduduwa Crescent, G.R.A.
Ikeja, Lagos.

The Nigeria Prize for Literature Secretariat
External Relations Division,
NLNG London Liaison Office
4th Floor, Heron House,
10 Dean Farrar Street,
London SW1H 0DX.

Close of Entry

All entries must be in by 23:59hrs WAT Monday 31st March 2026. Late entries will not be considered.