Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG) has launched a fresh initiative aimed at unlocking the creative potential of young Nigerians. The company’s newly introduced Nigeria Prize for Creative Arts, valued at US $20,000, is tailored for emerging filmmakers aged 18 to 35 and will debut in February 2026.
In the announcement, NLNG stated that the prize is a new category under its sponsored ‘The Nigeria Prizes’ and beckons young Nigerians to craft short documentary films that celebrate the nation’s identity and reshape global perceptions of Nigeria. According to Sophia Horsfall, NLNG’s General Manager of External Relations and Sustainable Development, this is “an invitation for young Nigerians to own their narrative, to show the world our complexity, our brilliance, and our resilience through film.”
The inaugural prize theme is “Identity”, and entries will be judged on storytelling, originality, production quality, creativity and impact. The new category replaces the previous Literary Criticism prize and is administered by the same advisory board that oversees the Literature and Science prizes.
By channeling investment into the creative industry, NLNG is helping to expand Nigeria’s creative economy, a sector that offers youth employment, attracts global attention and contributes to non-oil revenue diversification. This prize strengthens the artistic value chain and signals potential growth in film, documentary and storytelling ventures beyond traditional oil-led growth.
