Buratai Literary Initiative Shortlists Three Writers for N2m Grand Prize
By Matthew Eloyi
The TY Buratai Literary Initiative (TYBLI) has shortlisted three Nigerian writers for the 2026 edition of its Young Adult Literature Prize (YALP), following a competitive selection process that attracted more than 100 entries from across the country.
The finalists are Yemi Hanson, whose work, Let Us Tell This Story, represents the South-West; Umar Ibrahim, author of A Hundred Lashes, from the North-Central; and Chinenye Opara, whose work, A Lady in Bloom, represents the South-East.
The three writers emerged from an initial pool of six zonal winners representing Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones and will now compete for the grand prize of N1.5 million.
Each of the six zonal winners had earlier received N500,000 in recognition of their literary achievements, bringing the total prize money available to the eventual winner to N2 million.
The winner will be announced at the 2026 Young Adult Literature Prize Award Ceremony scheduled for Wednesday, November 18, at 2 p.m. at the TY Buratai Research Centre, KM 44, Abuja-Keffi Road, Abuja.
According to the initiative, the ceremony will be hosted by its founder and sponsor, retired Lieutenant General T.Y. Buratai, former Chief of Army Staff and former Nigerian Ambassador to the Republic of Benin.
Former President of the United Nations General Assembly, Prof. Tijjani Bande, will chair the occasion, while Usman O. Akanbi, PhD, is expected to deliver the keynote address.
The ceremony will also feature the unveiling of the 2025 TYBLI Young Adult Literature Prize Anthology, which showcases selected literary contributions from the previous edition of the competition.
The Young Adult Literature Prize is an initiative of TYBLI aimed at promoting reading culture, encouraging creative writing, discovering emerging literary talents and strengthening the development of young adult literature in Nigeria.
The initiative said the competition recognises the creativity, literary promise and storytelling contributions of emerging Nigerian writers, while providing a platform for nurturing talents and enriching the country’s literary landscape.
It congratulated the three finalists and commended all participants for contributing to the success of the 2026 edition.
