by Stanley Azuakola

Ten authors have made the initial shortlist for this year’s Nigeria LNG Prize for Literature. They will now contest to win the $100,000 in prize money.

The shortlisted authors include Ngozi Achebe (Onaedo: The Blacksmith’s Daughter), Ifeanyi Ajaegbo (Sarah House), Jude Dibia (Blackbird), Vincent Egbuson (Zhero), Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani (I do not come to you by chance), Onuora Nzekwu (Troubled Dust), Olusola Olugbesan (Only a Canvas), Lola Shoneyin (The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives), E. E. Sule (Sterile Sky), and Chika Unigwe (On Black Sister’s Street).

Chairman, panel of judges for this year’s prize, Francis Abiola Irele, who is the provost of the College of Humanities at the Kwara State University and Fellow of the Dubois Institute, Harvard University presented the shortlist. Prof. Irele revealed that this year, there were 214 entries from Nigerians at home and abroad which represents the largest number of received entries since the prize was inaugurated in 2004.

The Nigeria Prize for Literature rotates yearly amongst four literary genres: prose fiction, poetry, drama and children’s literature. The 2012 prize is for prose fiction.

The eventual winner will be announced on October 9^th 2010. The keynote address at that event would be delivered by the managing director, Nigeria LNG Limited.