‎Ogaga Ifowodo wins $100,000 Nigeria Prize for Literature 2026

‎• Ogaga Ifowodo has won the 2026 Nigeria Prize for Literature and its $100,000 award for “Why Does God Need a Gun?”
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‎• Peter Oghenetega Oke and Feranmi Abiola share the first Nigeria Prize for Creative Arts, worth $20,000.
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‎• Winners emerged from 223 literature entries and 98 creative arts submissions at NLNG’s Grand Award Night.
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‎Oke and Abiola share the inaugural Nigeria Prize for Creative Arts
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‎Poet Ogaga Ifowodo has won The Nigeria Prize for Literature 2026, taking home one of Africa’s most prestigious literary honours and its $100,000 cash award for his collection, “Why Does God Need a Gun?”
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‎Meanwhile, documentary makers Peter Oghenetega Oke and Feranmi Abiola have been named joint winners of the inaugural Nigeria Prize for Creative Arts. Their films, “Beyond Tarkwa Bay” and “Mara Mania,” share the $20,000 prize.
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‎Confiance News learned that the winners were announced at NLNG’s Grand Award Night in Lagos on Friday, 9 October 2026. According to details sighted by Confiance News, Ifowodo’s collection was selected from 223 entries, while the two documentaries emerged from 98 submissions.
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‎Why the judges picked Ifowodo’s collection
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‎Announcing the literature winner, Professor Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo, Chairman of the Advisory Board for The Nigeria Prize for Literature, described the collection as a sensitive portrayal of religious and political violence in Nigeria, told through the voice of an imagined victim.
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‎Her praise, however, extended to all three shortlisted collections. She said they stood out for the poets’ technical skill, confidence and mature use of language. She also pointed to the themes that connect them.
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‎”Though distinct in voice and style, they engage with related concerns,” she said, listing identity and belonging, the promises and disappointments of nationhood, extremism and displacement, and the lasting impact of conflict on individuals and communities. According to her, the works are deeply rooted in the Nigerian experience, yet reach far beyond the country’s borders.
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‎Documentaries bring unseen communities into focus
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‎On the creative arts side, Joel Kachi Benson, Technical Adviser to the Advisory Board for The Nigeria Prize for Creative Arts, praised the five shortlisted documentaries. He said the films went beyond capturing reality to challenge perceptions and build deeper human connections.
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‎”These documentaries transported us into communities often unseen,” he said, adding that they amplified unheard voices, celebrated resilience, documented culture and preserved memory.
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‎Science prize winner set the tone in September
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‎Notably, the literature and creative arts results followed the September 2026 announcement of Mary-Brenda Akoda as winner of The Nigeria Prize for Science and Innovation. Confiance News gathered that her innovation, GenScan AI (GenMRI/C-MORE), is an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered solution that speeds up magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
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‎As a result, Akoda became the prize’s first Gen Z recipient and its first woman to win as an individual awardee.
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‎NLNG boss says the prizes are now national institutions
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‎In his opening remarks, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NLNG, Adeleye Falade, said the Nigeria Prizes were established to recognise outstanding achievement and encourage scientific innovation and literary excellence that improve lives. He noted that the science prize had honoured contributions across health, agriculture, engineering, energy, technology, climate resilience and sustainable development.
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‎Falade added that this year’s winning work, focused on AI and information technology, could transform lives in Nigeria and around the world.
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‎Speaking on the literature prize, he said it had grown into one of Africa’s most prestigious literary honours, drawing wide interest and offering a platform to some of the continent’s finest voices. “Through this prize, Nigerian writers have demonstrated that our stories are far more than accounts of where we come from,” he stated.
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‎He described the creative arts prize as a platform that honours artists who preserve Nigeria’s heritage while reimagining it for a new generation. “Together, the Nigeria Prizes have become enduring national institutions,” he said.
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‎Furthermore, Falade commended the finalists and winners, noting that excellence is never accidental. Every finalist, he said, represented discipline and dedication, while every winner represented the triumph of perseverance. He expressed hope that the laureates would inspire the next generation of scientists, writers and creatives.
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‎Soyinka links imagination to science and the arts
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‎Also speaking at the event, Professor Wole Soyinka named imagination as the vital link between literature, the creative arts and science. According to a statement obtained by Confiance News, he noted that imagination is not confined to the humanities, since mathematics and physics also depend on vision and the ability to conceive new possibilities.
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‎Consequently, he called for closer collaboration between the humanities and the sciences in service of humanity, urging both to expand the boundaries of imagination and keep human wellbeing at the heart of creative expression and scientific progress.
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‎Through the Nigeria Prizes, NLNG says it is reaffirming its commitment to recognising excellence and inspiring a sustainable future. The statement was signed by Sophia Horsfall, General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development.