Beyond The Familiar: NLNG’s ‘Nigeria Unseen’ Prize Challenges Filmmakers To Redefine Documentary Storytelling
NIGERIA’S creative industry is receiving another opportunity to explore the country’s untold stories as Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) opens the call for entries for the 2027 edition of The Nigeria Prize for Creative Arts.
The new competition, built around the theme ‘Nigeria Unseen,’ invites Nigerian filmmakers to produce documentaries that reveal overlooked aspects of society, challenge familiar perceptions and introduce audiences to experiences that rarely receive attention on screen.
Returning after its inaugural edition in 2026, the prize offers US$20,000 and targets Nigerian filmmakers aged 18 to 35. Importantly, the competition does not restrict participation to filmmakers living in Nigeria. Eligible Nigerians based anywhere in the world can submit their work, provided they meet the stated conditions.
The initiative reflects a growing recognition of documentary filmmaking as a powerful creative and cultural instrument. Through research, observation and human-centred storytelling, documentaries can preserve experiences, question established narratives and bring neglected social realities into public discussion.
Consequently, the 2027 edition seeks to encourage filmmakers to approach Nigeria with greater curiosity, creativity and investigative depth.
An invitation to discover the Nigeria audiences rarely see
The theme ‘Nigeria Unseen’ provides the creative foundation for the competition. However, its meaning goes beyond the search for subjects that have never appeared in a film.
Instead, the organisers are encouraging filmmakers to reconsider familiar environments and identify stories that ordinary observation often overlooks. A neighbourhood, occupation, cultural practice or everyday routine could become the basis of a compelling documentary when examined from a fresh perspective.
This approach challenges filmmakers to move beyond conventional storytelling patterns. Rather than simply recording events or presenting attractive images, they must establish what makes a subject important and why audiences should pay attention.
For documentary filmmaking, that responsibility demands patience and discipline. Filmmakers must research their subjects, build relationships with the people involved and understand the circumstances surrounding the experiences they wish to portray.
NLNG’s General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, Sophia Horsfall, said the competition demonstrates the company’s confidence in Nigerian creative talent and its determination to support well-developed content.
She explained that documentary filmmaking involves considerable research, time and commitment because filmmakers must understand a subject before presenting it to an audience.
Through the new theme, Horsfall said, NLNG wants participants to pursue stories that deserve closer attention and communicate them with care. She added that the prize would recognise outstanding filmmaking while exposing audiences to aspects of Nigerian life they might not otherwise encounter.
Her comments reinforce the importance of documentary films as more than creative productions. They can also serve as records of social experience, cultural expression and the changing realities of communities across the country.
Femi Odugbemi leads new Advisory Board
To strengthen the competition’s direction and professional standards, NLNG has appointed a three-member Advisory Board comprising prominent figures from the Nigerian creative and media industries.
Award-winning filmmaker and producer Femi Odugbemi will chair the board, while journalist and broadcaster Kadaria Ahmed and documentary filmmaker Joel Kachi Benson will serve as members.
Their appointment introduces a combination of filmmaking, journalism, creative education and media leadership to the prize’s oversight structure.
The board will provide strategic guidance, supervise the administration of the competition and protect the credibility of its adjudication process. In addition, it will promote originality, artistic quality and compelling storytelling as essential standards for participating filmmakers.
By bringing professionals from different areas of the media and creative industries together, NLNG is positioning the advisory structure to consider both the artistic and editorial responsibilities involved in documentary production.
Odugbemi said the theme offered a broad range of possibilities for prospective entrants. According to him, filmmakers should not assume that an unseen story must come from a remote location or an unfamiliar community.
He argued that an overlooked story could exist within a place or experience people encounter every day. The real challenge, therefore, lies in identifying the questions that have not been asked and discovering why the answers matter.
Beyond selecting an interesting subject, Odugbemi urged filmmakers to undertake proper research, secure access and earn the trust of the people whose experiences they intend to document.
He also stressed that documentary subjects should have room to speak for themselves. Furthermore, filmmakers must make responsible decisions during production and editing to ensure that the final work respects the complexity of the experiences it presents.
For Odugbemi, a successful documentary should leave audiences with a deeper understanding of people and their circumstances, rather than simply informing them that a particular place or lifestyle exists.
Three professionals, one commitment to stronger storytelling
The composition of the Advisory Board reflects the different skills required to nurture documentary filmmaking and promote credible storytelling.
As Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Zuri24 Media, Odugbemi has built an extensive career in film production and creative development. He is also a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and a co-founder of the iREP International Documentary Film Festival.
His previous role as pioneer Academy Director of MultiChoice Talent Factory in West Africa further demonstrates his involvement in developing emerging filmmaking talent.
Through these experiences, Odugbemi brings knowledge of documentary production, professional training and the wider film industry to the competition.
Ahmed, meanwhile, offers substantial experience in journalism, broadcasting and editorial leadership. She currently serves as Executive Director of Daria Media and Managing Director of Radio Now 95.3 FM.
Before taking up these positions, she worked as a Senior Producer at the BBC and became Editor of NEXT newspaper. Her career across print, radio and television, including presidential debates and public-interest interviews, gives her an understanding of how media organisations can influence public debate and communicate complex issues.
That background is particularly relevant to a competition seeking documentaries that can deepen public understanding and encourage audiences to examine familiar subjects more critically.
Benson completes the board with experience in documentary filmmaking and immersive storytelling. His work has attracted international attention for its exploration of human experiences through innovative visual formats.
His virtual reality documentary, Daughters of Chibok, received the Venice Lion for Best Immersive Story at the 2019 Venice International Film Festival. Additionally, he co-directed Madu, which won the Outstanding Arts and Culture Documentary award at the 2025 News & Documentary Emmy Awards.
His experience demonstrates the growing possibilities available to filmmakers who combine documentary storytelling with emerging technologies and creative production techniques.
Together, the three professionals bring complementary perspectives to the prize’s development, particularly in the areas of artistic excellence, editorial responsibility, audience engagement and international visibility.
The inaugural competition provides a foundation
The return of the prize builds on the 2026 inaugural edition, which recognised two films as joint winners.
Peter Oghenetega Oke won with Byond Tarkwa Bay, while Feranmi Abiola received joint recognition for Mara Mania.
Their success gave the competition an initial platform within Nigeria’s creative industry and highlighted the opportunities available to documentary filmmakers working with distinctive subjects and original approaches.
Now, the 2027 edition seeks to extend that foundation by encouraging more young Nigerians to explore the country’s social, cultural and human experiences through documentary film.
Importantly, the prize also offers a platform for filmmakers to develop work that may contribute to wider conversations about Nigerian identity, community life and the country’s changing realities.
Such recognition is significant in an industry where documentary production can require extensive preparation, research, access to subjects and sustained creative investment. A dedicated competition can help bring greater attention to this demanding form of filmmaking.
Application window, film requirements & submission process
The competition’s submission portal will open on 1 February 2027, and will remain available until 11:59 p.m. WAT on 30 April 2027.
Eligible filmmakers must submit their entries through www.filmfreeway.com. The competition will accept films produced between January 2026 and April 2027, provided they do not exceed 20 minutes in running time.
Applicants must also satisfy the other eligibility conditions and technical specifications outlined in the full call for entries. NLNG has directed interested filmmakers to www.thenigeriaprizes.org for comprehensive submission guidelines.
The age requirement remains 18 to 35, while Nigerian filmmakers living outside the country are also eligible to participate. This provision gives the competition a wider reach and creates an opportunity for Nigerian creative professionals in the diaspora to contribute their perspectives to the national storytelling landscape.
NLNG expands its creative recognition agenda
The Creative Arts Prize forms part of NLNG’s wider programme of recognising excellence in different fields of national development.
According to the company’s Manager, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs, Anne-Marie Palmer-Ikuku, the award acknowledges the contribution of Nigerian filmmakers and the role documentary films play in recording the country’s stories and presenting them to wider audiences.
Alongside The Nigeria Prize for Literature and The Nigeria Prize for Science and Innovation, the Creative Arts Prize reflects the company’s commitment to supporting outstanding achievements in the arts and sciences.
This broader recognition programme also places creative expression alongside scientific and literary contributions as important elements of national development.
For the film industry, such support can encourage emerging professionals to pursue demanding projects, improve their production standards and develop stories capable of reaching audiences beyond Nigeria.
The challenge of telling stories with depth & integrity
Ultimately, the significance of the 2027 competition will extend beyond its financial reward. Its greater value may lie in encouraging filmmakers to examine the country with greater sensitivity, question familiar narratives and document experiences that might otherwise remain overlooked.
Nevertheless, the theme also presents a creative and ethical challenge. Discovering an unusual subject is only the beginning; filmmakers must approach their subjects with honesty, conduct responsible research and avoid reducing complex human experiences to convenient screen narratives.
That expectation aligns with Odugbemi’s emphasis on trust, access and allowing people to speak for themselves. It also reinforces the prize’s stated commitment to originality, artistic quality and compelling storytelling.
As the February 2027 submission window draws closer, Nigerian filmmakers have an opportunity to demonstrate the depth of their creative vision and the diversity of stories waiting to be told.
Through ‘Nigeria Unseen,’ NLNG is challenging a new generation of documentary storytellers to look beyond familiar images and present a richer understanding of the people, communities and experiences that make up Nigeria.
