NLNG announces $20,000 creative arts prize for 2027

The Nigeria LNG has announced entries for the 2027 edition of the Nigeria Prize for Creative Arts with a call to filmmakers to show audiences a Nigeria they rarely see on screen.

The cycle, themed “Nigeria Unseen”, invites documentaries that bring lesser-known stories of Nigerian life to wider attention and examine familiar subjects through perspectives that have been overlooked, including everyday experiences that rarely feature on screen.

This was contained in a statement issued in Port Harrcourt on Monday by NLNG’s
Manager, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs, Anne-Marie Palmer-Ikuku.

The statement reads, “Following its inaugural edition in 2026, the competition returns with a prize of US$20,000 and is open to Nigerian filmmakers aged 18 to 35, irrespective of their country of residence.

“A three-member Advisory Board has also been appointed to guide the Prize’s development and uphold its standards of excellence.

“Award-winning filmmaker and producer Femi Odugbemi will chair the Board, with journalist and broadcaster Kadaria Ahmed and documentary filmmaker Joel Kachi Benson will serve as members as well.”

The board, according to the statement, will provide strategic direction, oversee the administration of the Prize and safeguard the integrity of its adjudication process.

“Its mandate will emphasise originality, artistic quality and compelling storytelling, while supporting a transparent and independent competition that remains responsive to Nigeria’s evolving creative sector,” it added.

Speaking on the call for entries, NLNG’s General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, Sophia Horsfall, said the new edition would build on the company’s support for Nigerian creative talent.

She noted that the Prize seeks to recognise the quality of Nigerian filmmaking and encourage work that broadens public understanding of the country and its people.

“Our support for The Nigeria Prize for Creative Arts reflects our confidence in Nigerian talent and our recognition of the work that goes into making good, structured content.

“Documentary filmmaking demands time, research and the patience to understand a subject before presenting it to an audience. With ‘Nigeria Unseen’, we are encouraging filmmakers to pursue stories that deserve closer attention and tell them with care.

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“We want the Prize to give outstanding work the recognition it deserves and introduce audiences to aspects of Nigeria they may not otherwise encounter,” Horsfall said.

Chairperson of the Prize’s Advisory Board, Femi Odugbemi, said the theme offered considerable freedom in the choice of subject.

Odugbemi encouraged entrants to consider not only what their films would reveal, but also how their treatment of a subject could deepen an audience’s understanding of it.

“Nigeria Unseen’ does not necessarily mean travelling to a remote place or finding a subject that has never been filmed. It may mean looking again at something we pass every day and asking questions we have never thought to ask.

“An unfamiliar subject is a starting point, but the filmmaker still has to find the story and establish why it matters. That requires research, access and the trust of the people whose lives are being documented.

“We encourage filmmakers to test their assumptions and give the people in their films room to speak for themselves,” Odugbemi said

The statement further said the Board brings together experience in filmmaking, journalism, creative education and media leadership.

“The submission portal for the 2027 competition will open on 1 February 2027, and entries must be submitted through www.filmfreeway.com before 11:59 p.m. WAT on 30 April 2027.

“Eligible films must have been produced between January 2026 and April 2027 and must not exceed 20 minutes in running time.

“The Nigeria Prize for Creative Arts recognises Nigerian filmmaking talent and the role of documentary film in recording the country’s stories and bringing them to wider audiences.

“Alongside The Nigeria Prize for Literature and The Nigeria Prize for Science and Innovation, the Prize reflects NLNG’s commitment to recognising and rewarding excellence in the arts and sciences,” the statement added.