The Nigeria Prize for Literature has unveiled the longlist for its 2026 poetry edition, with eleven collections selected to compete for the $100,000 award sponsored by Nigeria LNG (NLNG).
A few months after the call for submissions was made, with this year’s edition dedicated to poetry, the 2026 Nigeria Prize for Literature longlist includes:
- Adult Love in the Childhood Garden by Tanure Ojaide
- Bakandamiya: An Elegy by Saddiq Dzukogi
- Black Passport by Paul Akpomuje
- 2000 Blacks by Ajibola Tolase
- Ceremony for the Nameless by Theresa Lola
- Corpus by Ayo Oyeku
- Flora’s Live Colony by Tares Oburumu
- The Origin of Wounds by Rasaq Malik Gbolahan
- The Years of Blood by Adedayo Agarau
- Unbind Me Now by James Ngwu Eze
- Why Does God Need a Gun? by Ogaga Ifowodo
Established by Nigeria LNG (NLNG) in 2004, the Nigeria Prize for Literature honours the best book by a Nigerian author. It rotates annually among four genres: prose fiction, poetry, drama and children’s literature. With a cash award of $100,000, it is widely known as one of the 10 richest and most prestigious literary prizes in the world.
The competition will move into its next phase with a three-book shortlist scheduled for 26 August 2026, with the winner to be announced on 9 October 2026.
Congratulations to all longlisted authors!
