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NLNG targets young Nigerians with $20K Creative Arts Prize
Sopuruchi Onwuka
Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) has unveiled The Nigeria Prize for Creative Arts, a new category under its flagship Nigeria Prizes, designed to empower young Nigerian filmmakers to tell authentic stories that redefine the country’s image and global perception.
At a press conference in Lagos, the company announced that the Prize will focus on emerging filmmakers aged 18 to 35, challenging them to produce short documentary films that celebrate Nigeria’s identity through creativity, information, and visual excellence.
The new category will officially open for entries in February 2026, alongside The Nigeria Prize for Science and The Nigeria Prize for Literature. The winner will receive a $20,000 award, with the competition concluding at a grand award night in October 2026.
Speaking at the event, Sophia Horsfall, NLNG’s General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, said the initiative reflects the company’s long-standing commitment to nurturing Nigeria’s creative potential as part of national development.
“The Nigeria Prize for Creative Arts is an invitation for young Nigerians to own their narrative — to show the world our complexity, brilliance, and resilience through film,” Horsfall said. “Storytelling is nation-building. Every frame, every voice, and every perspective matters in shaping who we are and who we aspire to be.”
Horsfall added that the Prize would connect Nigeria’s vibrant youth population with the country’s creative industry, strengthening its voice on the global stage while promoting unity and understanding through storytelling.
The Prize will be administered by the Advisory Board for The Nigeria Prize for Literature and The Nigeria Prize for Creative Arts, chaired by Professor Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo, with Emeritus Professor Olu Obafemi and Professor Ahmed Yerima as members.
Professor Adimora-Ezeigbo described the new category as a milestone in NLNG’s two-decade effort to celebrate excellence across disciplines.
“The Nigeria Prize for Creative Arts reaffirms our belief that excellence knows no boundary — it can be written, spoken, or filmed,” she said. “It challenges creators to confront truth, explore memory, and translate experience into meaning.”
Joel Benson, Emmy-winning documentary filmmaker and Technical Advisor to the Advisory Board, explained that the Prize would be benchmarked against international film festival standards, ensuring that winning entries can compete globally.
He noted that only short documentaries of no more than 20 minutes will be accepted in the inaugural edition. Entries will be judged on storytelling craft, originality, production quality, and creativity.
The judging panel will be chaired by Dr. Sam Dede, veteran actor, director, and senior lecturer at the University of Port Harcourt. Other members include Adeola Aderonke, award-winning film director and producer, and George Ugwuja, an acclaimed film producer known for high-quality international work.
With The Nigeria Prize for Creative Arts, NLNG extends its legacy of celebrating excellence to a new generation — giving young Nigerian storytellers a platform to project the nation’s spirit through film and creativity.
