Wale Igbintade
Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) has challenged Nigerian filmmakers to explore underreported aspects of the country’s history, culture and everyday experiences, unveiling a US$20,000 prize for outstanding documentary productions in the 2027 edition of The Nigeria Prize for Creative Arts.
The competition, themed Nigeria Unseen, seeks to encourage filmmakers to tell stories that rarely receive attention, examine familiar subjects from overlooked perspectives and present audiences with a deeper understanding of Nigeria and its people.
The initiative, which follows the inaugural edition of the competition in 2026, is open to Nigerian filmmakers aged between 18 and 35, irrespective of their country of residence.
As part of efforts to strengthen the competition’s administration and maintain its standards, NLNG has also appointed a three-member Advisory Board chaired by award-winning filmmaker and producer, Femi Odugbemi.
The board has journalist and broadcaster, Kadaria Ahmed, and documentary filmmaker, Joel Kachi Benson, as members.
The Advisory Board will provide strategic direction, oversee the administration of the prize and safeguard the integrity of its adjudication process.
Its responsibilities will include promoting originality, artistic excellence and compelling storytelling, while ensuring that the competition remains transparent, independent and responsive to developments in Nigeria’s creative industry.
Speaking on the 2027 call for entries, NLNG’s General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, Sophia Horsfall, said the new edition would build on the company’s commitment to supporting Nigerian creative talent and recognising excellence in filmmaking.
She explained that the Nigeria Unseen theme was designed to encourage filmmakers to pursue stories that broaden public understanding of the country, particularly experiences and perspectives that are often overlooked.
According to her, documentary filmmaking requires considerable investment of time, research and patience to understand a subject before presenting it to an audience.
Horsfall said NLNG’s support for the prize reflected its confidence in Nigerian talent and recognition of the painstaking work involved in producing well-researched and structured documentary content.
She added that the competition would provide outstanding filmmakers with the recognition their work deserved while introducing audiences to aspects of Nigerian life they might not otherwise encounter.
Chairman of the Advisory Board, Odugbemi, said the theme offered filmmakers considerable freedom in choosing their subjects, stressing that Nigeria Unseen did not necessarily require discovering places or experiences that had never been documented.
Rather, he said, filmmakers could uncover fresh perspectives by examining familiar subjects, everyday encounters and experiences that people often overlook.
He urged prospective entrants to look beyond the novelty of their subjects and concentrate on discovering compelling stories, establishing their significance and presenting them with depth and authenticity.
According to him, successful documentary filmmaking requires thorough research, access to subjects and the trust of the people whose experiences are being documented.
Odugbemi also emphasised the importance of ethical storytelling, urging filmmakers to challenge their assumptions and allow the people featured in their documentaries to speak for themselves.
He said the decisions filmmakers make during production and editing should reflect the complexity of the experiences being portrayed rather than reduce people’s lives to simplistic narratives.
He noted that a documentary should achieve more than introducing viewers to an unfamiliar place or way of life; it should deepen their understanding of the people and circumstances behind the story.
The appointment of the Advisory Board brings together professionals with extensive experience in filmmaking, journalism, broadcasting, creative education and media leadership.
Odugbemi, the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Zuri24 Media, is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and co-founder of the iREP International Documentary Film Festival.
He also served as the pioneer Academy Director of the MultiChoice Talent Factory in West Africa, where he contributed to training emerging filmmakers.
Ahmed, who is the Executive Director of Daria Media and Managing Director of Radio Now 95.3 FM, previously worked as a Senior Producer at the BBC and Editor of NEXT newspaper.
Her experience spans print journalism, radio and television broadcasting, public-interest reporting and editorial leadership. She has also conducted interviews and moderated presidential debates.
Benson, an award-winning documentary filmmaker, is recognised for his work exploring human experiences through documentary and immersive storytelling.
His virtual reality documentary, Daughters of Chibok, won the Venice Lion for Best Immersive Story at the 2019 Venice International Film Festival.
He also co-directed Madu, which won the Outstanding Arts and Culture Documentary award at the 2025 News & Documentary Emmy Awards.
His appointment is expected to bring additional expertise in documentary production, emerging storytelling formats and the presentation of Nigerian stories to international audiences.
The submission portal for the 2027 competition will open on February 1, 2027, with entries closing at 11:59 p.m. West African Time on April 30, 2027.
Eligible documentaries must have been produced between January 2026 and April 2027 and must not exceed 20 minutes in running time.
Submissions are to be made through the FilmFreeway platform, while detailed information on eligibility criteria, film specifications and other requirements is available on the Nigeria Prize website.
The Nigeria Prize for Creative Arts recognises Nigerian filmmaking talent and the role of documentary films in preserving the country’s stories and bringing them to wider audiences.
The prize forms part of NLNG’s broader commitment to recognising and rewarding excellence in the arts and sciences, alongside The Nigeria Prize for Literature and The Nigeria Prize for Science and Innovation.