The Prize Advisory Board of the Nigeria Prize For Literature 2025, on Wednesday revealed the Longlist of 11 titles, battling to win the $100,000 literary prize.
The list of the best 11 prose works, arranged in alphabetical order of the books:
An Unusual Grief by Yewande Omotoso
Fine Dreams by Linda Masi
Leave my Bones in Saskatoon by Michael Afenfia
New York My Village by Uwem Akpan
PETRICHOR, The Scent of a New Beginning by Ayo Oyeku
Sanya by Oyin Olugbile
The Middle Daughter by Chika Unigwe
The Road to the Country by Chigozie Obioma
This Motherless Land by Nikki May
Water Baby by Chioma Okereke
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 marks the company’s first LNG loading in October 1999. The prize rotates annually across four genres: prose fiction, poetry, drama, and children’s literature.
At 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.
According to her, 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.
A statement signed Sophia Horsfall
General Manager, General External Relations &Sustainable Development,NLNG, quoted Professor Adimora-Ezeigbo as underscoring the power of prose fiction in shaping minds, and emphasized the importance of relevance, quality, and imagination in storytelling for the next generation.
She lauded 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.
