PRESS RELEASE — Abuja, Nigeria — September 26, 2025
The Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), through its Next Gen/Campus Reporter project, invites campus journalists in Nigerian tertiary institutions to submit entries for the 2025 Alfred Opubor Prize. The application window is open from Friday, September 26, to Friday, October 10, 2025.
Named after Nigeria’s first Professor of Mass Communication, the Alfred Opubor Next Gen Awards was launched in 2018, with subsequent editions hosted in 2022 and 2024.
It has recognised outstanding campus journalists for their work across various categories, including Investigative, Data, Fact-Check, Inclusive, Environmental, and Health reporting. This year, the award will recognise the best report authored by a student journalist, along with first and second runners-up.
Entries are open to all student journalists in Nigerian tertiary institutions, provided their stories were published between October 1, 2024, and September 30, 2025. Submissions can be in print, online, or multimedia formats. Only Investigative, Feature, Data, and Solution-focused reports will be considered. Opinion articles, news reports, editorials, and social media posts will NOT be accepted. Applicants must be/have been students at the time of publication. Each participant may submit only ONE entry.
Submissions will be judged by a panel of distinguished journalists and media experts. Entries will be assessed based on originality, significance, quality of reporting, depth of investigation, and overall impact.
The top three finalists will be honoured at the CJID’s Excellence in Journalism Awards ceremony in November 2025, closing the centre’s annual Media and Development Conference. They will receive cash prizes, plaques, and certificates of recognition.
Interested applicants should complete the online application form here, ensuring all details and file attachments are accurate. The deadline for submissions is Friday, October 10, 2025..For further inquiries, please contact Osaruonamen Ibizugbe at os*********@*****id.org or call +234 806 363 7458, or Stella on +234 706 429 7421.
