The Nigeria Prizes – sponsored by NLNG – on Sunday opened entries for the 2026 cycle, with a focus on artificial intelligence, poetry and documentary filmmaking.
This year’s edition centres on artificial intelligence and information and communication technology for The Nigeria Prize for Science and Innovation, poetry for The Nigeria Prize for Literature and documentary filmmaking for the newly introduced The Nigeria Prize for Creative Arts.
Organisers said the themes reflect current global and local realities, while maintaining the prizes’ role as a platform for recognising excellence in science and innovation, literature and the creative arts.
For the 2026 cycle, The Nigeria Prize for Science and Innovation retains the theme “Innovations in Information and Communication Technology, Artificial Intelligence, and Digital Technologies for Development.” This follows a no-winner outcome in the 2025 edition.
Speaking on the commencement of the prizes, NLNG general manager for external relations and sustainable development, Sophia Horsfall, said the themes were chosen to reflect a world shaped by digital advancement and creative expression.
“The themes for the 2026 cycle reflect the realities of a world being reshaped by digital intelligence and creative expression. Through The Nigeria Prizes, NLNG continues to reinforce its commitment to innovative ideas and talents that are rigorous, relevant, and capable of shaping long-term national outcomes. The introduction of the creative arts prize further strengthens this commitment by recognising creativity as a critical component of development,” Horsfall said.
Also speaking on the call for entries, chairman of the advisory board for the science and innovation prize, Prof Barth Nnaji, urged scientists and innovators to submit works that offer practical and scalable solutions.
“The Nigeria Prize for Science and Innovation is founded on the principle that science must move beyond abstraction into solutions that work. The Prize recognises innovations grounded in rigorous research, demonstrating technical maturity and clear potential for application within Nigeria’s development landscape. We are looking for works that are inventive, credible, scalable, and capable of delivering measurable outcomes,” he said.
The science and innovation prize is valued at 100,000 dollars and is open to scientists and innovators worldwide. Entries are expected to focus on digital and artificial intelligence-based solutions that can improve systems and decision-making in key sectors of Nigeria’s economy.
For the Nigeria Prize for Literature, poetry is the genre in focus for 2026. Nigerian authors at home and in the diaspora are invited to submit poetry collections published from 2023 onwards. The literature prize is also valued at 100,000 dollars.
Chairman of the advisory board for The Nigeria Prize for Literature and The Nigeria Prize for Creative Arts, Prof Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo, described the introduction of the Creative Arts Prize as an important addition to the programme.
“It reaffirms our belief that excellence transcends form, whether written, spoken, or filmed. The Creative Arts Prize challenges creators to confront truth, explore memory, and translate lived experience into meaningful work. At the same time, the focus on Poetry for The Nigeria Prize for Literature recognises the genre’s enduring role as a tool for reflection, resistance, and social inquiry, with a unique capacity to distil memory and interrogate complex realities,” she said.
The Nigeria Prize for Creative Arts debuts with documentary film under the theme “Identity”. Valued at 20,000 dollars, the prize is open to Nigerian filmmakers aged 18 to 35. Entries are expected to explore individual, communal and cultural identity through documentary storytelling.
