With more eyes focusing on Nigeria’s multi-billion dollar creative scene, telecommunications firm MTN and new-age visual arts journal and e-platform GIDA have tag-teamed to launch a nationwide photography competition that aims to spotlight a new era in African visual arts.

The competition, spanning between November 24 and December 30, 2023, is open to photographers from 16 years and above across every nook and cranny of the country. There is also no application fee attached for budding participants, the organisers have said.

According to a joint statement by the organisers, the winner, which would be announced January 15, 2024, will be commissioned with N1.5 million naira to create a compelling new body of work, focused on amplifying one of the inspiring stories from MTN’s social initiatives.

The winner will also get to engage in three collaborative creative development sessions with GIDA’s Editors-in- Chiefs, Mira Makadia and Momo Hassan-Odukale. The final work will also be prominently featured across MTN’s digital channels, reaching an extensive audience of over 7 million people.

According to the organisers, the adjudication would be done by a distinguished jury, including Momo Hassan-Odukale and Mira Makadia (Editors-in-Chief of GIDA Journal), along with five other industry experts.

To apply, the entrants are encouraged to submit between five and eight images that encapsulate the theme of ‘community’, whether it be local communities, chosen communities, families, or more. Alongside the visual submissions, participants are required to provide a short biography and a 200-word artist statement.

“This unique opportunity brings together MTN and GIDA’s respective commitments to social responsibility in Nigeria and to support emerging creatives develop their practice,” the statement read.

MTN’s CSI programs actively address issues around Education, Health and Youth Development globally, while GIDA is positioned to champion indigenous narratives that reflect the socioeconomic realities of African climes, thereby making both parties a formidable impact-driver within the African creative economy.