May, Obioma, Olugbile Shortlisted for $100,000 Nigeria Prize for Literature 2025
The stage is set for the grand finale of The Nigeria Prize for Literature 2025, as three stellar works have emerged finalists for Africa’s most prestigious literary honour.
Unveiled by the Advisory Board, the shortlist of three includes:
- Sanya by Oyin Olugbile
- The Road to the Country by Chigozie Obioma
- This Motherless Land by Nikki May
One of these writers will walk away with the $100,000 NLNG-sponsored prize on October 10, 2025, cementing their place in Nigeria’s literary pantheon.
A Prize that Defines Excellence
For two decades, The Nigeria Prize for Literature has stood as the gold standard of African literary recognition, rotating among four genres—prose, poetry, drama, and children’s literature. This year’s prose shortlist reflects the maturity, ambition, and cultural resonance of Nigerian writing at its finest.
Chair of the Advisory Board, Professor Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo, described the adjudication process as “intense, rigorous, and meticulous.”
“These are not merely stories. They are carefully woven realities—compelling in beauty, stirring in emotion, and unflinching in their engagement with urgent societal issues,” she noted.
The Finalists: Literature in Motion
- Oyin Olugbile’s Sanya – A fast-paced, gripping narrative that balances style with intrigue, demonstrating the craft of storytelling that keeps readers spellbound.
- Chigozie Obioma’s The Road to the Country – By the Booker Prize-shortlisted author, this novel explores love, brotherhood, and the devastation of war through masterful layering of alternative realities and timeless human dilemmas.
- Nikki May’s This Motherless Land – A cross-cultural, emotionally charged novel that seamlessly bridges Nigeria and the diaspora, marked by vivid characters and writing that resonates with global appeal.
The judges praised the works for their exceptional characterisation, narrative daring, and their ability to mirror society’s struggles and triumphs.
The Judges and the Process
The 2025 judging panel is chaired by Associate Professor Saeedat Bolajoko Aliyu of Kwara State University, with Professor Stephen Mbanefo Ogene of Nnamdi Azikiwe University and Mr. Olakunle Kasumu, producer and host of Channels Book Club.
Their task: to select a single laureate from a pool of excellence. With the original 11-book longlist already hailed as one of the strongest in recent years, the competition has been described as “one of the most competitive cycles yet.”
Literature, Culture, and Economics
Beyond its cultural prestige, The Nigeria Prize for Literature has business and social significance:
- $100,000 reward positions it as one of the richest literary prizes globally, reinforcing Nigeria’s cultural capital.
- It spotlights the growing global influence of Nigerian writers, whose works now dominate bookstores from Lagos to London.
- It catalyses publishing, translation, and adaptation opportunities, driving Nigeria’s creative economy.
For sponsors NLNG, the prize is more than philanthropy—it is nation-branding through literature.
BRANDECONOMY Takeaway
The Nigeria Prize for Literature 2025 is more than a literary competition; it is a mirror of Nigeria’s intellectual capital and cultural ambition. With May, Obioma, and Olugbile on the shortlist, the global stage is reminded of Nigeria’s storytelling power.
On October 10, one writer will be crowned laureate—but the true winner is Nigerian literature itself, proving once again that creativity remains one of the country’s most bankable exports.
