Nominations for the second edition of the Witsprouts Storytelling Prize are open until September 30, 2026, with a ₦500,000 cash award going to the winner.

A cultural organisation dedicated to inspiring increased participation in African arts and culture, the Witsprouts Project announced opening for nomination window on August 10 2026.

The prize honours young creators working in narrative storytelling through multimedia, and in this edition the organisers have widened the field considerably.

In an interview with The Guardian in Lagos, Director of The Witsprouts Project Tope Akintayo, described storytelling as one of the most powerful tools available and one that is evolving, pointing to contemporary griots, podcasters, spoken word artists, animators and voice-over artists as creators carrying the form forward.

He said the prize exists so those voices are encouraged, celebrated and supported, and that Witsprouts believes creativity is best rewarded when it is given a platform.

Unlike the inaugural 2025 competition that asked entrants for five- to ten-minute video performances of oral narration, the 2026 edition recognises storytelling in any oral or multimedia form — podcasts, spoken word, animation, audio drama and video among them.

The organisers disclosed they are looking simply for storytellers doing the work of making stories matter.

The 2025 edition, themed, ‘Rebooting legends and memories,’ was restricted to Nigerian storytellers at home and in the diaspora.

This year, the prize is open to young storytellers and voice artists based anywhere across Africa or the African diaspora who use multimedia to tell engaging, impactful stories.

Anyone may put a storyteller forward — a friend, colleague, fan or storyteller themselves. Nominations are submitted through a form at https://witsprouts.org/2026. Nomination for closes on September 30, 2026.