Bisi Bamishe
Nigerian filmmakers are being challenged to show audiences a Nigeria they rarely see on screen as NLNG opens entries for the 2027 edition of The Nigeria Prize for Creative Arts. The cycle, themed “Nigeria Unseen”, invites documentaries that bring lesser-known stories of Nigerian life to wider attention and examine familiar subjects through perspectives that have been overlooked, including everyday experiences that rarely feature on screen.
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Following its inaugural edition in 2026, the competition returns with a prize of US$20,000 and is open to Nigerian filmmakers aged 18 to 35, irrespective of their country of residence.
A three-member Advisory Board has also been appointed to guide the Prize’s development and uphold its standards of excellence. Award-winning filmmaker and producer Femi Odugbemi will chair the Board, with journalist and broadcaster Kadaria Ahmed and documentary filmmaker Joel Kachi Benson will serve as members as well.
The Board will provide strategic direction, oversee the administration of the Prize and safeguard the integrity of its adjudication process. Its mandate will emphasise originality, artistic quality and compelling storytelling, while supporting a transparent and independent competition that remains responsive to Nigeria’s evolving creative sector.
Speaking on the call for entries, Sophia Horsfall, NLNG’s General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, said the new edition would build on the company’s support for Nigerian creative talent. She noted that the Prize seeks to recognise the quality of Nigerian filmmaking and encourage work that broadens public understanding of the country and its people.
“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. 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. We want the Prize to give outstanding work the recognition it deserves and introduce audiences to aspects of Nigeria they may not otherwise encounter,” she said.
Chairperson of the Prize’s Advisory Board, Femi Odugbemi, said the theme offered considerable freedom in the choice of subject. Odugbemi encouraged entrants to consider not only what their films would reveal, but also how their treatment of a subject could deepen an audience’s understanding of it.
“‘Nigeria Unseen’ does not necessarily mean travelling to a remote place or finding a subject that has never been filmed. 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. That requires research, access and the trust of the people whose lives are being documented.
“We encourage filmmakers to test their assumptions and give the people in their films room to speak for themselves. The choices made during filming and editing should do justice to the complexity of their experiences. A film should leave viewers with more than the knowledge that a place or a way of life exists; it should help them understand the people whose lives it portrays,” Odugbemi said.
The Board brings together experience in filmmaking, journalism, creative education and media leadership. Odugbemi is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Zuri24 Media, a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and a co-founder of the iREP International Documentary Film Festival. He also served as the pioneer Academy Director of the MultiChoice Talent Factory in West Africa, helping to train a new generation of filmmakers.
Following its inaugural edition in 2026, the competition returns with a prize of US$20,000 and is open to Nigerian filmmakers aged 18 to 35, irrespective of their country of residence.
A three-member Advisory Board has also been appointed to guide the Prize’s development and uphold its standards of excellence. Award-winning filmmaker and producer Femi Odugbemi will chair the Board, with journalist and broadcaster Kadaria Ahmed and documentary filmmaker Joel Kachi Benson will serve as members as well.
The Board will provide strategic direction, oversee the administration of the Prize and safeguard the integrity of its adjudication process. Its mandate will emphasise originality, artistic quality and compelling storytelling, while supporting a transparent and independent competition that remains responsive to Nigeria’s evolving creative sector.
Speaking on the call for entries, Sophia Horsfall, NLNG’s General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, said the new edition would build on the company’s support for Nigerian creative talent. She noted that the Prize seeks to recognise the quality of Nigerian filmmaking and encourage work that broadens public understanding of the country and its people.
“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. 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. We want the Prize to give outstanding work the recognition it deserves and introduce audiences to aspects of Nigeria they may not otherwise encounter,” she said.
Chairperson of the Prize’s Advisory Board, Femi Odugbemi, said the theme offered considerable freedom in the choice of subject. Odugbemi encouraged entrants to consider not only what their films would reveal, but also how their treatment of a subject could deepen an audience’s understanding of it.
“‘Nigeria Unseen’ does not necessarily mean travelling to a remote place or finding a subject that has never been filmed. 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. That requires research, access and the trust of the people whose lives are being documented.
“We encourage filmmakers to test their assumptions and give the people in their films room to speak for themselves. The choices made during filming and editing should do justice to the complexity of their experiences. A film should leave viewers with more than the knowledge that a place or a way of life exists; it should help them understand the people whose lives it portrays,” Odugbemi said.
The Board brings together experience in filmmaking, journalism, creative education and media leadership. Odugbemi is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Zuri24 Media, a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and a co-founder of the iREP International Documentary Film Festival. He also served as the pioneer Academy Director of the MultiChoice Talent Factory in West Africa, helping to train a new generation of filmmakers.
Ahmed is the Executive Director of Daria Media and Managing Director of Radio Now 95.3 FM. A former Senior Producer at the BBC and Editor of NEXT newspaper, she brings experience in public-interest journalism, broadcasting and editorial leadership. Her work across print, radio and television, including interviews and presidential debates, adds a strong perspective on editorial integrity, public engagement and socially relevant storytelling.
Benson is an award-winning documentary filmmaker whose work explores human experiences through documentary and immersive storytelling. His virtual reality documentary, Daughters of Chibok, won the Venice Lion for Best Immersive Story at the 2019 Venice International Film Festival. He also co-directed Madu, which won the Outstanding Arts and Culture Documentary award at the 2025 News & Documentary Emmy Awards. He brings experience in documentary production, emerging storytelling formats and presenting Nigerian stories to international audiences.
The submission portal for the 2027 competition will open on 1 February 2027, and entries must be submitted through www.filmfreeway.com before 11:59 p.m. WAT on 30 April 2027. Eligible films must have been produced between January 2026 and April 2027 and must not exceed 20 minutes in running time.
For the full Call for Entries, including eligibility criteria, film specifications and submission requirements, please visit www.thenigeriaprizes.org.
The Nigeria Prize for Creative Arts recognises Nigerian filmmaking talent and the role of documentary film in recording the country’s stories and bringing them to wider audiences. Alongside The Nigeria Prize for Literature and The Nigeria Prize for Science and Innovation, the Prize reflects NLNG’s commitment to recognising and rewarding excellence in the arts and sciences.
