NLNG unveils 2027 Creative Arts prize, calls for entries and appoints Advisory Board - ITREALMS

Nigerian filmmakers have been challenged to capture unseen perspectives of national life as Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) officially opens submissions for the 2027 edition of The Nigeria Prize for Creative Arts. Centered on the thematic focus "Nigeria Unseen," the competition invites compelling documentary entries that spotlight overlooked stories, everyday experiences, and under-represented narratives across the country.

Following its successful inaugural cycle, the 2027 competition returns with a cash prize of US$20,000. Participation is open to all Nigerian documentary filmmakers aged 18 to 35, regardless of their current country of residence.

To safeguard the competition's high standards of excellence, integrity, and independent adjudication, NLNG has appointed a three-member Advisory Board.

Award-winning filmmaker and producer Femi Odugbemi will serve as Chairperson of the Board. He is joined by veteran journalist and broadcaster Kadaria Ahmed and acclaimed documentary filmmaker Joel Kachi Benson as members.

 

The Board is tasked with providing strategic oversight, ensuring originality and artistic quality, and guiding the administration of the prize to remain responsive to Nigeria's evolving creative ecosystem.

Speaking on the launch of the new cycle, Sophia Horsfall, NLNG’s General Manager for External Relations and Sustainable Development, emphasized that the initiative reinforces the company's long-term commitment to elevating Nigerian creative talent and encouraging rigorous storytelling.

"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," Horsfall stated. "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."

Advisory Board Chairperson Femi Odugbemi noted that the theme offers creators significant creative latitude while demanding deep investigative effort. He urged participants to look closely at familiar environments and unpack complex human realities.

"‘Nigeria Unseen’ does not necessarily mean travelling to a remote place or finding a subject that has never been filmed," Odugbemi explained. "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."

The newly constituted Advisory Board brings decades of multidisciplinary expertise spanning journalism, film production, and international creative education:

Femi Odugbemi (Chairperson): Founder and CEO of Zuri24 Media, member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, co-founder of the iREP International Documentary Film Festival, and pioneer Academy Director of the MultiChoice Talent Factory in West Africa.

Kadaria Ahmed (Member): Executive Director of Daria Media and Managing Director of Radio Now 95.3 FM, bringing extensive public-interest journalism experience from her tenure as a Senior Producer at the BBC and Editor of NEXT newspaper.

Joel Kachi Benson (Member): Award-winning documentary filmmaker whose virtual reality documentary Daughters of Chibok won the Venice Lion for Best Immersive Story at the 2019 Venice International Film Festival, and whose co-directed project Madu secured the Outstanding Arts and Culture Documentary award at the 2025 News & Documentary Emmy Awards.

The submission portal for the 2027 competition officially opens on February 1, 2027. All entries must be uploaded through FilmFreeway (www.filmfreeway.com) no later than 11:59 p.m. WAT on April 30, 2027.

Eligible documentary films must have been produced between January 2026 and April 2027, with a maximum running time of 20 minutes. Full eligibility criteria, technical specifications, and entry requirements are available on the official portal at www.thenigeriaprizes.org.

The Nigeria Prize for Creative Arts stands alongside The Nigeria Prize for Literature and The Nigeria Prize for Science and Innovation as part of NLNG’s broader corporate social responsibility initiatives to reward and institutionalize excellence across Nigerian arts and sciences.