By Bisi Bamishe
What was once described as a fiercely competitive 2025 edition of The Nigeria Prize for Literature now appears to have been an underestimation of the intensity of the race. The Prize’s Advisory Board on Wednesday revealed the Longlist of 11 titles, setting the stage for an epic battle for the prestigious literary prize.
The list of the best 11 prose works, arranged in alphabetical order of the book titles are:
1. An Unusual Grief by Yewande Omotoso
2. Fine Dreams by Linda Masi
3. Leave my Bones in Saskatoon by Michael Afenfia
4. New York My Village by Uwem Akpan
5. PETRICHOR, The Scent of a New Beginning by Ayo Oyeku
6. Sanya by Oyin Olugbile
7. The Middle Daughter by Chika Unigwe
8. The Road to the Country by Chigozie Obioma
9. This Motherless Land by Nikki May
10. Water Baby by Chioma Okereke
11. When We Were Fireflies by Abubakar Adam Ibrahim
The prize is sponsored by NLNG and offers a cash award of $100,000 to the author of the winning book at a grand ball event in October. The event commemorates the company’s first LNG loading in October 1999. The prize rotates annually across four genres: prose fiction, poetry, drama, and children’s literature.
Speaking on the unveiling of the long list, the Chairman of Advisory Board for the Prize, Professor Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo, stated that the Advisory Board is excited with the longlist of 11 books that have made it from 252 submitted for the 2025 edition. She stated that, from this stage of the longlist onward, the prize will evoke a mix of emotions both within the stories themselves and in response to the selection of finalists and the eventual winner(s) of the $100,000 prize.
“In sifting through the 252 submissions, the judges have not only selected 11 books, they have unveiled narratives that embody the standards of literary excellence. These books are windows into diverse worlds, each brimming with depth, emotion, and craftsmanship. As we move from this longlist to the finalists and ultimately the winner, the journey promises to be one of profound emotional resonance, with each page of these works drawing us closer to a deserving champion. The 2025 edition will surely be a celebration of the power of storytelling at its finest,” she said.
Professor Adimora-Ezeigbo underscored the power of prose fiction in shaping minds, and emphasized the importance of relevance, quality, and imagination in storytelling for the next generation.
She commended the judges for a thoughtful and rigorous selection and reiterated the Advisory Board’s commitment to excellence in literature and nurturing a strong reading culture.
