Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) has opened entries for its 2026 Nigeria Prizes competition, offering a combined prize pool of $220,000 across three categories designed to stimulate innovation and creative excellence in key economic sectors.
The company announced on Sunday that The Nigeria Prize for Science and Innovation will maintain its focus on “Innovations in Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Artificial Intelligence, and Digital Technologies for Development” after declaring no winner in the 2025 cycle. The prize carries a $100,000 award.
“The themes for the 2026 cycle reflect the realities of a world being reshaped by digital intelligence and creative expression,” said Sophia Horsfall, NLNG’s General Manager for External Relations and Sustainable Development. “Through The Nigeria Prizes, NLNG continues to reinforce its commitment to innovative ideas and talents that are rigorous, relevant, and capable of shaping long-term national outcomes.”
Investment in Innovation and IP
The Science and Innovation category remains open to global participants, seeking AI-driven and digital solutions with practical applications in Nigeria’s economy. Prof. Barth Nnaji, Chairman of the Science and Innovation Prize Advisory Board, emphasized the commercial focus of eligible submissions.
“We are looking for works that are inventive, credible, scalable, and capable of delivering measurable outcomes,” Prof. Nnaji stated. “The Prize recognises innovations grounded in rigorous research, demonstrating technical maturity and clear potential for application within Nigeria’s development landscape.”
Creative Economy Focus
The Nigeria Prize for Literature, also valued at $100,000, will spotlight poetry in the 2026 cycle. Nigerian authors, both domestic and diaspora-based, may submit poetry collections published from 2023 onward.
In a strategic expansion, NLNG has introduced The Nigeria Prize for Creative Arts, debuting with a $20,000 award for documentary filmmaking. The category targets emerging Nigerian filmmakers aged 18 to 35, with the theme ‘Identity.’
Prof. Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo, Chairman of the Advisory Board for both the Literature and Creative Arts prizes, described the new category as recognition of the creative industries’ economic potential. “The Creative Arts Prize challenges creators to confront truth, explore memory, and translate lived experience into meaningful work,” she said.
The prizes initiative represents NLNG’s continued investment in human capital development and knowledge-based industries, sectors increasingly recognized as drivers of economic diversification beyond Nigeria’s traditional oil and gas economy.
Submissions are now open across all three categories.
 has opened entries for its 2026 Nigeria Prizes competition, offering a combined prize pool of $220,000 across three categories designed to stimulate innovation and creative excellence in key economic sectors.){kind=link}