By Christiana Ekpa
The 2025 edition of The Nigeria Prize for Literature has received a record-breaking 252 entries, marking what promises to be the most competitive cycle in the prize’s history.
This announcement came during a formal handover ceremony in Lagos where NLNG’s Corporate Communication and Public Affairs Manager, Anne-Marie Palmer-Ikuku, representing General Manager Sophia Horsfall, presented the entries to the Prize’s Advisory Board led by Professor Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo.
The number of submissions significantly surpasses both the 163 entries received in 2024 and the 202 submissions from the previous Prose Fiction cycle in 2021.
This year’s competition focuses on Prose Fiction, which traditionally attracts substantial interest from Nigerian writers.
During the ceremony, Horsfall attributed the surge in entries to “a reinvigorated passion for creative works and a deepened global awareness of Nigerian literature,” noting that this record confirms the prize’s impact and the growing international recognition of Nigerian literary works.
Professor Adimora-Ezeigbo expressed optimism about the quality of this year’s competition, emphasizing that the diversity and depth of submissions would make the adjudication process particularly compelling while reinforcing the prize’s commitment to literary excellence. She urged the judges to maintain the highest standards of integrity throughout the selection process.
The judging panel for 2025 is chaired by Professor Saeedat Bolajoko Aliyu from Kwara State University, with Professor Stephen Mbanefo Ogene, Mr. Olakunle Kasumu, and international consultant Dr. Grace Musila completing the team.
In addition to the main literature competition, 37 entries were received for The Nigeria Prize for Literary Criticism. The Literature Prize carries a $100,000 award, while the Literary Criticism Prize offers $10,000 to the winner.
Past winners in the Prose Fiction category include Kaine Agary (2008), Chika Unigwe (2012), Abubakar Adam Ibrahim (2016), and Professor Cheluchi Onyemelukwe-Onuobia (2020/21). The Nigeria Prize for Literature rotates annually between Prose Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Children’s Literature, maintaining its status as Africa’s most prestigious literary prize and one of the richest globally.
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