NLNG, CORA host 2026 Nigeria Prize for Literature Longlisted Poets at Lagos Book Party

223 entries received for poetry cycle as Prize marks 22nd year

The Nigeria LNG Limited, in partnership with The Committee for Relevant Art, CORA, hosted the 11 poets longlisted for the 2026 edition of The Nigeria Prize for Literature at the annual CORA Book Party in Lagos.

The event, held shortly after the announcement of the 2026 longlist, provided a public platform for the selected poets to present their works and engage with readers, critics, journalists, publishers, students, and other members of the literary community.

It featured poetry readings, conversations, and discussions around the longlisted works, alongside other cultural and literary festivities.

—223 Entries, 11 Poets Longlisted—

The longlisted works were selected by the panel of judges for the 2026 edition from 223 entries received following the call for submissions announced in February. The poetry cycle is the focus for this year’s prize.

The longlist marks a key stage in the adjudication process ahead of the shortlist and the possible announcement of the winner in October.

—“Moving Literature Beyond The Page”—

Speaking at the event, NLNG’s General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, Sophia Horsfall, said the Book Party emphasised the importance of sustaining platforms that take literature beyond the page and into public consciousness.

She noted that The Nigeria Prize for Literature was established to recognise exceptional writing and to strengthen Nigeria’s culture of reading, critical engagement and creative expression.

“This year’s focus on poetry celebrates a genre capable of distilling complex truths into powerful language, connecting the personal with the universal and giving voice to experiences that might otherwise remain unheard,” Horsfall said.

“The 2026 Poetry cycle attracted 223 entries, each offering a distinct rhythm, perspective and artistic expression. Together, these submissions attest to the vitality of Nigerian poetry and to the confidence Nigerian writers continue to place in the NLNG-sponsored Nigeria Prize for Literature.”

—CORA: “A Unique Literary Encounter”—

Also speaking, CORA Secretary-General, Mr. Toyin Akinosho, described the Book Party as a deliberate intervention in Nigeria’s literary space designed to create direct engagement between authors and the reading public.

“We are here because a profitable Nigerian gas company decided that a way to spend some share of its profit is to enable the Nigerian reading space. I’d like to thank NLNG for continuing to support this yearly afternoon of book conversation and the celebration of this country’s finest authors,” he said.

Akinosho added that the Book Party gives visibility to authors and allows books to be “read, discussed, challenged, and appreciated” before the final winner is announced.

“I don’t know of any literary prize process in which the final award is prefaced by a celebratory event of this nature, at which the authors face a community of readers in a room and talk about why and how they wrote what they are offering,” he said.

—About The Prize—

Now in its 22nd year, The Nigeria Prize for Literature is sponsored by NLNG and rotates annually among four genres: Prose Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Children’s Literature.

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The 2026 edition is dedicated to Poetry. The winner, who will receive $100,000, is expected to be announced in October.

The CORA Book Party remains one of the key activities leading to the final announcement, providing early public engagement with the longlisted works and their authors.