The Nigeria Prize for Literature and The Nigeria Prize for Science have opened submissions for their 2025 awards, according to Anne-Marie Palmer-Ikuku, Manager of Corporate Communications and Public Affairs.
The Nigeria Prize for Literature, one of the country’s most prestigious awards, turns its attention to Prose Fiction for 2025. The competition invites authors of Nigerian descent worldwide to submit works published from 2022 onward, competing for the $100,000 prize. Professor Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo, Chairperson of the Advisory Board for the literature prize, highlighted the significance of prose in contemporary storytelling.
The Prose Fiction category has historically drawn significant participation, with over 200 entries in its last cycle. Since the prize’s inception in 2004, only four authors have claimed victory in this category: Kaine Agary (2008), Chika Unigwe (2012), Abubakar A. Ibrahim (2016), and Cheluchi Onyemelukwe-Onuobia (2021).
Additionally, the Nigeria Prize for Literary Criticism offers a $10,000 award for critical essays focusing on contemporary Nigerian literature, particularly new prose writings.
The science prize will spotlight innovations in Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Digital Technologies that can drive development. Professor Barth Nnaji, Chairman of the Advisory Board for the science prize, emphasised the transformative potential of these technologies. “The rapid evolution of AI and digital technologies provides a unique opportunity for Nigeria and other developing nations to leapfrog traditional development trajectories,” he stated.
With a substantial prize purse of $100,000, the science competition welcomes global scientists and innovators whose work demonstrates practical applications and measurable social impact. This focus on AI is particularly timely, as recent studies indicate the technology could contribute between 2.6 trillion and 4.4 trillion dollars to global corporate profits annually.
