•• 223 Entries Contest Poetry Prize, Winner to Emerge October 9
By| Goodluck E.Adubazi, Abuja
Eleven Nigerian poets longlisted for the 2026 edition of The Nigeria Prize for Literature have been celebrated at the annual CORA Book Party in Lagos, as the literary community begins the countdown to the selection of this year’s winner.
The event, organised by the Committee for Relevant Art (CORA) in partnership with the Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG), provided the longlisted poets with a public platform to present their works, read selected pieces and interact with readers, critics, journalists, publishers, students and other stakeholders in Nigeria’s literary community.
The Book Party featured poetry readings, conversations and discussions on the longlisted works, giving members of the public an opportunity to engage directly with the authors ahead of the final stages of the prize adjudication.
The 11 poetry collections were selected from 223 entries received for the 2026 poetry cycle following the call for submissions announced in February.
The longlist represents another major stage in the adjudication process, with the entries expected to be reduced to a shortlist of three before the winner is announced later in the year.
Speaking at the event, NLNG’s General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, Dr. Sophia Horsfall, said the Book Party demonstrated the importance of taking literature beyond the pages of books and into public consciousness.
Horsfall said The Nigeria Prize for Literature, established to recognise exceptional Nigerian writing, had also contributed to strengthening the country’s reading culture, critical engagement and creative expression.
According to her, the 2026 focus on poetry celebrates a genre capable of distilling complex truths into powerful language while connecting personal experiences with universal realities.
She said: “The 2026 Poetry cycle attracted 223 entries, each offering a distinct rhythm, perspective and artistic expression.
Together, these submissions attest to the vitality of Nigerian poetry and to the confidence Nigerian writers continue to place in the NLNG-sponsored Nigeria Prize for Literature.”
Horsfall congratulated the 11 longlisted poets, urging members of the literary community to engage with their works and encouraging young and aspiring writers to remain committed to excellence.
She noted that the next stage would see the longlist narrowed to three finalists, with the winner expected to be announced on October 9, 2026.
Also speaking, CORA Secretary-General, Mr. Toyin Akinosho, said the Book Party was designed to create a direct literary encounter between writers and the reading public.
Akinosho said the initiative ensured that books were not merely announced as part of a prize process but were also read, discussed, challenged and appreciated by the wider literary community.
He commended NLNG for its sustained support for Nigeria’s literary and reading culture.
“We are here because a profitable Nigerian gas company decided that a way to spend some share of its profit is to enable the Nigerian reading space. I’d like to thank
NLNG for continuing to support this yearly afternoon of book conversation and the celebration of this country’s finest authors,” Akinosho said.
He described the CORA-Nigeria Prize for Literature Book Party as a distinctive feature of the prize process, noting that it gives authors an opportunity to directly engage readers and explain the ideas and creative processes behind their works.
The 2026 edition marks the 22nd year of The Nigeria Prize for Literature, sponsored by NLNG and rotated annually among four genres — Prose Fiction, Poetry, Drama and Children’s Literature.
The 2026 cycle is dedicated to Poetry, with the 11 longlisted collections now proceeding to the next stage of the competition.
The organisers said the Book Party forms part of activities leading to the final announcement, providing an avenue for readers and the wider literary community to encounter and celebrate the shortlisted works and their authors.
Horsfall urged aspiring writers to draw inspiration from the achievements of the longlisted poets, stressing that celebrated writers often began their journeys with little more than an idea, a blank page and the determination to continue writing.
She also recalled that the winner of the 2025 edition was a first-time writer, using the example to encourage emerging authors to remain committed to their craft.
