Eleven poets have advanced to the longlist of the 2026 edition of The Nigeria Prize for Literature, moving a step closer to claiming the prestigious $100,000 award as organizers unveiled the selected works from a total of 223 entries submitted for this year’s competition.

Announcing the longlist, Chairman of the Advisory Board for the Prize, Professor Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo, described the milestone as an important stage in the 2026 edition of what is widely regarded as Africa’s most prestigious literary prize. She said the quality of the entries reflects the exceptional creativity, diversity and artistic excellence that continue to define contemporary Nigerian poetry.

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The eleven longlisted collections are Adult Love by Tanure Ojaide, Bakandimiya by Saddiq Dzukogi, Black Passport by Paul Akpomuje, 2000 Blacks by Ajibola Tolase, Ceremony for The Nameless by Theresa Lola, Corpus: Animistic Verses by Ayo Oyeku, Floral’s Love Colony by Tares Oburumu, The Origin of Wounds by Malik Gbolahan, The Years of Blood by Adebayo Agarau, Unbind Me Now by James Ugwu Eze, and Why Does God Need a Gun by Ogaga Ifowodo.

Professor Adimora-Ezeigbo noted that the selected collections demonstrate poetry’s enduring ability to illuminate the human experience through thoughtful reflection, cultural memory and artistic expression. According to her, the works revisit history while interrogating dominant historical narratives and exposing the forces that shape collective identities and social relationships. Although varied in theme and approach, she observed that they share a common commitment to examining the resilience of individuals and communities confronted by violence, oppression and social fragmentation.

She further highlighted the stylistic richness of the collections, describing them as works distinguished by lyrical intensity, symbolic depth and artistic innovation. Many of the poets, she explained, employ allegorical and elegiac techniques that invite multiple layers of interpretation, while others draw extensively from folklore, oral traditions and contemporary realities to create a compelling dialogue between Africa’s past and present. Their language, she added, is fluid, evocative and aesthetically refined, relying on vivid imagery, emotional resonance and intellectual sophistication to communicate complex ideas.

According to the Advisory Board chairman, the longlisted works demonstrate how poetry can illuminate social realities, challenge established perspectives and give voice to both individual and collective experiences. She said the next phase of adjudication would involve a more rigorous evaluation of each collection, with judges focusing on language, form, originality and enduring literary value.

Professor Adimora-Ezeigbo also commended the panel of judges for their painstaking work and reaffirmed the Advisory Board’s commitment to maintaining a transparent and credible selection process while promoting literary excellence and strengthening Nigeria’s reading culture.

The announcement of the 11-title longlist formally opens the next stage of the competition, with a shortlist of three finalists expected in August before the eventual winner is unveiled in October.

Sponsored by the Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG), The Nigeria Prize for Literature carries a cash award of $100,000 for the winning author. Now in its 22nd year, the prize rotates annually among four literary genres—prose fiction, poetry, drama and children’s literature—with the 2026 edition devoted to poetry.