NLNG launches $20,000 documentary prize for young Nigerian filmmakers under 'Nigeria Unseen' theme

Nigeria LNG (NLNG) has announced the opening of submissions for the 2027 edition of the Nigeria Prize for Creative Arts, a competition dedicated to documentary filmmaking. The initiative offers a prize of US$20,000 to the winner and is specifically targeted at young Nigerian filmmakers. The announcement was made in Port Harcourt on Monday, 9 November 2026, through a statement issued by the company’s corporate communications team.

The 2027 competition is themed “Nigeria Unseen,” a concept designed to encourage creators to highlight lesser-known narratives and perspectives within Nigerian society. The call invites filmmakers to produce short documentaries that examine familiar subjects through overlooked lenses or present everyday experiences that rarely appear on screen. According to the company, the goal is to show audiences aspects of the country they may not otherwise encounter, thereby broadening public understanding of Nigerian life.

Background

The Nigeria Prize for Creative Arts is in its second cycle, having held its inaugural edition in 2026. The competition is open to Nigerian filmmakers aged between 18 and 35, regardless of their current country of residence. This eligibility criterion aims to engage a global diaspora of young creators while maintaining a focus on Nigerian storytelling.

To oversee the 2027 cycle, NLNG has appointed a three-member Advisory Board responsible for guiding the prize’s development and maintaining its standards of excellence. The board is chaired by award-winning filmmaker and producer Femi Odugbemi. The other members are journalist and broadcaster Kadaria Ahmed and documentary filmmaker Joel Kachi Benson. The board’s mandate includes providing strategic direction, overseeing the administration of the prize, and safeguarding the integrity of the adjudication process. The organization emphasized that the competition will prioritize originality, artistic quality, and compelling storytelling while remaining responsive to the evolving creative sector in Nigeria.

Sophia Horsfall, NLNG’s General Manager for External Relations and Sustainable Development, stated that the prize reflects the company’s confidence in Nigerian talent. She noted that documentary filmmaking requires significant time, research, and patience to understand a subject before presenting it to an audience. Horsfall added that the company seeks to recognize the quality of structured content and encourage work that deserves closer attention. Femi Odugbemi, the board chair, commented that the “Nigeria Unseen” theme offers entrants considerable freedom in choosing their subjects.

Why it matters

The prize aims to support the Nigerian creative sector by providing financial recognition and visibility to emerging filmmakers. By focusing on documentary work, the competition encourages in-depth research and narrative depth, distinct from other forms of film production. The involvement of established industry figures like Odugbemi, Ahmed, and Benson in the advisory role is intended to ensure that the adjudication process remains transparent and independent. For the filmmakers, the $20,000 prize represents a significant incentive to pursue stories that may not have commercial viability but hold cultural and social value. The competition also serves as a platform to introduce international and local audiences to diverse facets of Nigerian identity that are often underrepresented in mainstream media.

What happens next

Submissions for the 2027 Nigeria Prize for Creative Arts will open on 1 February. Filmmakers meeting the age and nationality requirements are invited to prepare their entries in accordance with the “Nigeria Unseen” theme. The Advisory Board will oversee the selection process, ensuring that the final award goes to work that meets the established standards of artistic quality and originality.