Nigeria Prize for Literature facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Nigeria Prize for Literature |
|
|---|---|
2018 winner, Dr. Soji Cole in his office with his plaque (2018)
|
|
| Presented by | Nigerian Academy of Science with advisory board constituted from:
|
| Date | Annual |
| Country | Nigeria |
| Reward | US$100,000 |
| First awarded | 2005 |
| Currently held by | Soji Cole |
The Nigeria Prize for Literature is a very important literary award in Nigeria. It is given out every year to honor great writing by Nigerian authors. This prize celebrates their amazing writing skills.
It is one of the biggest literary awards in Africa. It is also one of the richest literary awards in the world. The winner gets a huge prize of $100,000!
About the Prize
This special award started in 2004. It was created to encourage and celebrate Nigerian writers. The prize helps show off the amazing stories and poems from Nigeria.
The award changes focus every year. It rotates among four different types of writing. These are fiction (stories), poetry (poems), drama (plays), and children's literature (books for kids). This means each type of writing gets a chance to win every four years.
The prize is sponsored by Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited. It is presented by the Nigerian Academy of Science. They work with other groups like the Nigerian Academy of Letters and the Association of Nigerian Authors.
Past Winners
Many talented writers have won the Nigeria Prize for Literature. Sometimes, the prize is shared between two authors. Other times, there might not be a winner if no book meets the high standards.
Here is a list of some of the past winners and their books:
| Year | Recipient | Book | Genre | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Soji Cole | Embers | Drama | |
| 2017 | Ikeogu Oke | The Heresiad | Poetry | |
| 2016 | Abubakar Adam Ibrahim | Season of Crimson Blossoms | Prose | |
| 2015 | Children's literature | No Winner. | ||
| 2014 | Sam Ukala | Iredi War | Drama | |
| 2013 | Tade Ipadeola | The Sahara Testaments | Poetry | |
| 2012 | Chika Unigwe | On Black Sisters' Street | Prose | |
| 2011 | Adeleke Adeyemi | The Missing Clock | Children's literature | |
| 2010 | Esiaba Irobi | Cemetery Road | Drama | Posthumous (awarded after death) |
| 2009 | Poetry | No Winner | ||
| 2008 | Kaine Agary | Yellow Yellow | Prose | |
| 2007 (Shared prize) | Mabel Segun | Readers' Theatre: Twelve Plays for Young People | Children's literature | |
| Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo | My Cousin Sammy | Children's literature | ||
| 2006 | Ahmed Yerima | Hard Ground | Drama | |
| 2005 (Shared prize) | Gabriel Okara | The Dreamer: His Vision | Poetry | |
| Ezenwa Ohaeto | Chants of Minstrel | Poetry | ||
| 2004 | Prose | No Winner. |
