Oredola Adeola

The Advisory Board of the Nigeria Prize for Literature 2025 has unveiled the longlist of 11 outstanding prose works in contention for the prestigious $100,000 award sponsored by NLNG, with the winner set to be announced in October.

Sophia Horsfall, General Manager, External Relations & Sustainable Development at NLNG, confirmed this in a statement received by Advisors Reports, following the announcement by the Prize’s Advisory Board on Wednesday.

The longlist of 11 remarkable titles contending for the 2025 edition of The Nigeria Prize for Literature, featuring works such as An Unusual Grief by Yewande Omotoso, New York, My Village by Uwem Akpan, The Middle Daughter by Chika Unigwe, and The Road to the Country by Chigozie Obioma.

Other selected titles include Fine Dreams by Linda Masi, Leave My Bones in Saskatoon by Michael Afenfia, PETRICHOR, The Scent of a New Beginning by Ayo Oyeku, Sanya by Oyin Olugbile, This Motherless Land by Nikki May, Water Baby by Chioma Okereke, and When We Were Fireflies by Abubakar Adam Ibrahim.

NLNG in the statement stated that what was initially described as a fiercely competitive race for the $100,000 prize now appears to have been an understatement of the high quality and intensity of this year’s entries.

Advisors Reports gathered that the winner is expected to be announced in October during a grand ball celebrating NLNG’s first LNG export in 1999, with the prize rotating annually among four literary genres: prose fiction, poetry, drama, and children’s literature.

Professor Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo, Chairman of Advisory Board for the Prize stated that the Advisory Board is excited with the longlist of 11 books that have made it from 252 submitted for the 2025 edition.

She stated that, from this stage of the longlist onward, the prize will evoke a mix of emotions
both within the stories themselves and in response to the selection of finalists and the
eventual winner(s) of the $100,000 prize.

“In sifting through the 252 submissions, the judges have not only selected 11 books,
they have unveiled narratives that embody the standards of literary excellence.

“These books are windows into diverse worlds, each brimming with depth, emotion, and
craftsmanship.

“As we move from this longlist to the finalists and ultimately the winner, the journey promises to be one of profound emotional resonance, with each page of these works drawing us closer to a deserving champion.

“The 2025 edition will surely be a celebration of the power of storytelling at its finest,” she said.

Professor Adimora-Ezeigbo further underscored the power of prose fiction in shaping minds, and emphasized the importance of relevance, quality, and imagination in storytelling for the next generation.

She commended the judges for a thoughtful and rigorous selection and reiterated the
Advisory Board’s commitment to excellence in literature and nurturing a strong reading
culture.