NLNG-sponsored Nigeria Prizes Open for Entries with Focus on AI, Others 

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

The Nigeria Prizes competition officially kicked off on Sunday with Call for Entries for the 2026 cycle. This year’s edition focuses on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for The Nigeria Prize for Science and Innovation.

It also includes Poetry for The Nigeria Prize for Literature; and Documentary Filmmaking for the newly introduced The Nigeria Prize for Creative Arts.

The Prizes remain Nigeria’s foremost platform for rewarding excellence in science and innovation, literature, and the creative arts, a statement signed by NLNG’s Manager, Corporate Communication and Public Affairs, Anne-Marie Palmer-Ikuku, said.

This year, The Nigeria Prize for Science and Innovation retain the theme: “Innovations in Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Artificial Intelligence, and Digital Technologies for Development” following a “no winner” verdict of the 2025 cycle.

Speaking on the commencement of the prizes cycle, NLNG’s General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, Sophia Horsfall, emphasised the relevance of the selected themes in a rapidly evolving global context.

For Science, she noted that extensive research has demonstrated the immense potential of ICT, artificial intelligence, and digital technologies in reshaping industries and societies.

“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 stated.

Also speaking, the Chairman Advisory Board of the Science and Innovation Prize, Prof. Barth Nnaji, called on scientists and innovators from all over the world to submit quality entries that transcend theoretical concepts and demonstrate deployable, scalable and practical 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,” Nnaji stated.

With the prize valued at $100,000, the Science and Innovation competition is open to scientists and innovators worldwide and invites pioneering digital and artificial intelligence–based solutions that can enhance systems, improve efficiency, and support informed decision-making in critical sectors of Nigeria’s economy.

For The Nigeria Prize for Literature, poets will be in the spotlight for the 2026 cycle. NLNG invited Nigerian authors resident in Nigeria and in diaspora to submit poetry collections published from 2023 onwards. The prize, also worth $100,000, recognises literature’s enduring capacity to interrogate society, preserve memory, and articulate both personal and collective experience.

Chairman of the Advisory Board for The Nigeria Prize for Literature, and The Nigeria Prize for Creative Arts, Prof Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo, expressed excitement at the establishment of the new Prize for Creative Arts. She described it as a significant addition to NLNG’s over two-decade legacy of celebrating excellence.

“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 distill memory and interrogate complex realities,” she said.

The Nigeria Prize for Creative Arts debuts with Documentary Film under the theme ‘Identity’, with the prize valued at $20,000. It’s targeted at emerging Nigerian filmmakers aged 18 to 35.