The organisers of The Nigeria Prizes have announced the commencement of the 2026 competition cycle, highlighting artificial intelligence, information and communication technology, poetry, and documentary filmmaking.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the organisers said the 2026 edition reinforces The Nigeria Prizes’ position as the country’s foremost platform for recognising excellence in science, innovation, literature and the creative arts.
The Nigeria Prize for Science and Innovation will retain the theme “Innovations in Information and Communication Technology, Artificial Intelligence, and Digital Technologies for Development”, following a “no winner” outcome in the 2025 cycle.
NLNG’s General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, Sophia Horsfall, explained that the themes were selected in response to the rapidly changing global and technological landscape.
“The themes for the 2026 cycle reflect the realities of a world being reshaped by digital intelligence and creative expression,” Horsfall said.
“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.”
She added that the introduction of The Nigeria Prize for Creative Arts demonstrates NLNG’s commitment to creativity as a driver of national development.
The chairman of the Advisory Board for The Nigeria Prize for Science and Innovation, Professor Barth Nnaji, urged scientists and innovators to submit work that delivers 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,” Nnaji said. “We are looking for innovations grounded in rigorous research, demonstrating technical maturity, scalability and clear potential for application within Nigeria’s development landscape.”
The Science and Innovation Prize, valued at $100,000, is open to scientists and innovators worldwide, and seeks digital and AI-based solutions capable of improving efficiency and supporting decision-making in critical sectors of Nigeria’s economy.
For the Nigeria Prize for Literature, the 2026 cycle will focus on poetry. Nigerian authors resident in the country and in the diaspora are eligible to submit poetry collections published from 2023 onwards. The prize is also valued at $100,000.
Professor Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo, Chairman of the Advisory Board for The Nigeria Prize for Literature and The Nigeria Prize for Creative Arts, described the introduction of the Creative Arts Prize as a significant milestone.
“It reaffirms our belief that excellence transcends form, whether written, spoken or filmed,” she said.
“The Creative Arts Prize challenges creators to confront truth, explore memory and translate lived experience into meaningful work.”
Adimora-Ezeigbo added that the focus on Poetry underscores the genre’s enduring role in social reflection and inquiry.
The Nigeria Prize for Creative Arts will debut with a documentary film under the theme ‘Identity’. Valued at $20,000, the prize targets emerging Nigerian filmmakers aged 18 to 35 and aims to promote storytelling that explores individual, communal and cultural identities.
