$100,000 Question: Who wins NLNG Nigeria Prize for Literature 2025?

By Prisca Sam-Duru

There’s a conflict for literate power. A contention betwixt Obioma, Olugbile, and May; 2 women against 1 man. And it is happening successful the NLNG literate arena.

Read Also: NLNG declares ‘no winner’ for 2025 The Nigeria Prize for Science

The Nigeria Prize for Literature 2025 is astatine fever pitch. It is astatine its climax. And the aerial is heavy with anticipation. The strength of the fever accrued connected Wednesday, September 24, erstwhile the Advisory Board for the NLNG-sponsored The Nigeria Prize for Science declared a ‘no winner’ verdict connected the 2025 Science competition. Since then, there’s been palpable fearfulness wrong the literate community, forcing galore into exigency supplication sections to guarantee that the 2025 Nigeria Prize For Literature does not neglect to nutrient a caller laureate.

The 3 finalists, Oyin Olugbile’s “Sanya,” Chigozie Obioma’s “The Road to the Country,” and Nikki May’s “This Motherless Land,” announced by the Advisory Board of the prize past August, are virtually connected the blistery seat. So are their friends, families, colleagues, publishers, and readers.

On October 10, 2025, the literate satellite volition beryllium super-charged arsenic the Advisory Board for The Nigeria Prize for Literature, besides sponsored by NLNG, unveils the victor of the grant for Prose Fiction. That time volition find who among the 3 finalists volition beryllium richer by USD$100,000. That’s a lot! And, it’s a worthy prize for this limb of creativity that impacts positively connected society.

This is not conscionable a prize; it is Africa’s astir prestigious literate honour, a aureate seal of excellence that instantly confers planetary gravitas.

The 2025 rhythm has been, by each records, an exceptionally competitory one. Recall that record-breaking 252 entries were received. Consequently, the submissions were pruned down, archetypal to a longlist of 11, which contained 2 past winners, pursuing a meticulous screening that took the sheet of judges much weeks for thorough adjudication. The 11 literate titans were longlisted successful July. People became scared, and critics went to work. The inclusion of 2 past winners successful the prose fabrication class – Abubakar Adam Ibrahim and Chika Unigwe, who are besides foreign-based, sent shivers down the spines of critics. That 11 longlist got them lashing retired astatine NLNG for allowing authors successful the diaspora to vie with home-based writers. They thought these 2 authors would easy borderline retired the rest. Alas! they were dormant wrong.

Over the years, the lit prize, renowned arsenic Africa’s astir coveted literate prize, has maintained its motto of rewarding excellence only. This watchword ever reflects successful the 4 cycle- prose fiction, drama, poetry, and children’s literature.

Critics possibly had a infinitesimal of remainder arsenic neither of the 2 past winners made it to the finals.

The last shortlist of 3 was announced successful August. All eyes are connected these last gladiators: Olugbile, Obioma, and May.

Each caller is simply a almighty contender, a masterclass successful its ain right, presenting the judges with an unprecedented, enviable, and daunting task. This is the eventual literate showdown, and successful the tone of a bully contest, there’s a request to measurement the merits of the last 3 to foretell who clinches the coveted prize.

A person look astatine the last three

For starters, this year’s sheet of judges is chaired by Saeedat Bolajoko Aliyu, an subordinate prof of the Department of English, Kwara State University. Other members of the sheet include: Stephen Mbanefo Ogene, prof of Comparative Literature, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, and Olakunle Kasumu, writer, filmmaker, producer, and big of Channels Television’s Book Club.

They described the 3 books arsenic works representing the champion of Nigerian prose writing, exploring culturally applicable themes, and telling stories that are exciting, entertaining, and instructive.

Oyin Olugbile enters the last signifier with the buzz and vigor often associated with a fresh, captivating caller voice. The judges’ sheet singled retired “Sanya” for its “fascinating” crippled that “grabs attention” and an writer who is “unrelenting astatine keeping the communicative pacey and intriguing.”

In a prize that seeks to “inspire excellence and spotlight Nigerian voic...