The field has narrowed, and the race for the 2026 Nigeria Prize for Literature has reached a decisive stage, with the Advisory Board announcing the three shortlisted poetry titles for the prestigious prize.
After announcing a longlist of 11 titles in July from an initial pool of 223 submissions, the Advisory Board has narrowed the list to three works, bringing their authors one step closer to the coveted $100,000 prize.
According to the Advisory Board, “James Ngwu Eze, in Unbind Me Now, uses language that is fluid and aesthetically captivating. This collection decries the sociopolitical dysfunction of the nation and the world at large, interrogates the human condition, and charts a path for redemption. Ogaga Ifowodo, in Why Does God Need A Gun?, depicts religious and political violence in Nigeria, couched in a rich allegorical style. Delivered through the tripartite structure of body, mind and spirit, Ifowodo interrogates those forces that emblematise the world’s challenging ethos. While Tares Oburumu’s Flora’s Love Colony is written in a densely poetic style on Nigeria’s troubled history, it challenges the mainstream narrative and is an inspiring socio-historical collection, captured in lucid imagery and evocative language.”
