Oyin Olugbile has won the 2025 Nigeria Prize for Literature for her novel Sanya, taking home the prestigious $100,000 prize. The announcement was made at the NLNG Grand Award Night 2025, attended by distinguished guests including His Majesty, King Edward Asimini William Dappa Pepple III, Edward I, CON, DSSRS, JP. Perekule XI, Natural Ruler and Amanyanabo of Ancient Grand Bonny Kingdom.
The evening was compèred by Mojibade Sosanya and Eyinna Nwigwe.
“When I wrote Sanya, I wasn’t trying to impress the world, I was trying to remember it,” Olugbile said upon receiving the award.
Olugbile, a psychiatrist and playwright, triumphed over a distinguished shortlist that included Chigozie Obioma’s The Road to the Country, a brutal and lyrical tale of brotherhood, guilt, and survival set during the Biafran War, and Nikki May’s This Motherless Land, a moving novel of grief, identity, and belonging that spans Nigeria and England. Obioma has been twice shortlisted for the Booker Prize, while May’s debut Wahala became a bestseller and BBC adaptation.
The three finalists were selected from a longlist of eleven fiction titles, including Yewande Omotoso’s An Unusual Grief, Uwem Akpan’s New York, My Village, and Abubakar Adam Ibrahim’s When We Were Fireflies.
Also at the ceremony, the Nigeria Prize for Literary Criticism 2025 was awarded to Okwudiri Anasiudu, while The Nigeria Prize for Science 2024 was won by, Dr. Olajide Otitoju, Professor Meihong Wang, Dr. Eni Oko.
This year’s prize focused on Prose Fiction, with a thematic spotlight on Innovations in ICT, AI, and Digital Technologies, reflecting how storytelling and technology together drive national transformation.
Dr. Philip Mshelbila, speaking at the ceremony, announced an exciting expansion: “Next year, a new prize will join our family: the Nigeria Prize for Creative Arts with focus on Documentary Film, open to Nigerians aged 18 to 35. We believe film has the power to engage young people in shaping the future with our culture, our history, and our present. Our brand promise is to inspire a sustainable future. This means reflecting on the world around and acting to create a positive change.”
Dr. Morufu Olatunji Alausa, the Honourable Minister of Education, expressed hope that “the NLNG Grand Award Night continues to inspire us to produce more excellent works in science, research and storytelling.”
The Nigeria Prize for Literature, founded by Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas company (NLNG), is one of the top ten richest literary prizes in the world. Since its creation in 2004, it has promoted Nigerian literature and garnered international acclaim. The award rotates annually between four genres: prose fiction, poetry, drama, and children’s fiction.
Last year, Olubunmi Familoni won the 2024 prize for his children’s book The Road Does Not End, a story about a street hawker discovering his passion for music amid hardship. The prize’s rotation brings fresh attention to different literary forms each year, with this year’s return to prose fiction yielding Olugbile’s memorable win.
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