Broadcaster Eugenia Abu honoured with Sevhage Creative Non-Fiction Prize 2024

By Editor

SEVHAGE Literary and Development Initiative and ALINEA Initiative are delighted to announce the launch of the Eugenia Abu/SEVHAGE International Prize for Creative Nonfiction, funded and administered by the two organisations. This prize, named in honour of the distinguished writer, broadcaster, and media consultant Eugenia Abu, aims to celebrate outstanding creative nonfiction from writers worldwide, highlighting voices that challenge, inspire, and/or provide deep insights into the human experience. It is also supported by an endowment from Senior Advisor to the President for Communication and Stakeholder Engagement, African Development Bank Group Dr. Victor Oladokun, and other patrons.

The Eugenia Abu/SEVHAGE International Prize for Creative Nonfiction is a key component of the SEVHAGE Literary Prizes 2024, which also includes categories for fiction and critical essays. Multiple award-winning, multi-genre writer, scholar and professor of Broadcast Media and former Vice Chancellor of Dominican University, Ibadan, Hyginus Ekwuazi, will serve as the chief judge for this year’s prizes, ensuring the selection of the highest quality entries.

Submission for the Eugenia Abu/SEVHAGE International Prize for Creative Nonfiction is currently open and will close midnight August 29, 2024. The competition is open to writers globally and is free to enter. The winner will receive a prize of ₦750,000 and have their work published, with additional opportunities for other shortlisted entries. Furthermore, portions of their work will be featured in an exhibition in Nottingham, England, as part of SEVHAGE Festival. Detailed submission guidelines can be found on the SEVHAGE website at www.sevhage.com/prizes.

“We are honoured to dedicate this year’s Creative Nonfiction Prize to Eugenia Abu, better known as one of Nigeria’s cherished broadcasters, an award-winning author and outstanding mentor,” said Su’ur Su’eddie Vershima Agema, an award-winning writer, Executive Director and President of SEVHAGE. “Mrs. Abu holds a special place in many of our hearts. It was always a delight to watch her on TV and, for me personally to learn from her guidance at different points. She is a once-in-a-lifetime figure, and we are blessed to have her in our lives. Inspired by her life and rich legacy across fields, we are excited to celebrate nonfiction works that resonate with readers locally and globally.”

Eugenia Abu

Eugenia Abu is one of Nigeria’s frontline broadcast journalists who has won several awards in the field, including the prestigious NMMA Best Newscaster of the Year 1995. She is one of Nigeria’s most recognisable faces. She anchored the NTA flagship network news for 17 years and retired from active public service at the top of her career as Executive Director, Programmes, having served meritoriously for 34 years. Abu is a visiting consultant at Bingham University and a council member of Veritas University. She is a judge on the National Maltina Teachers Award and the OFAB Media Award. Abu is also a member of National Media Complaints Commission and a board member of Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development as well as Trust TV. She has consulted for several national and international organisations, including UN Women, ILO, ECOWAS, NEDC and Trust TV, among others. She is the Managing Partner/CEO of The Eugenia Abu Media.

She is the author of two books, In the Blink of an Eye (a collection of essays) which won the ANA/NDDC Flora Nwapa Prize for Best Women’s Writing and Don’t Look at Me Like That (a poetry collection). For years, Abu wrote weekly columns for such national dailies like Sunday Trust and BusinessDay.

The SEVHAGE Literary Prizes are a series of annual literary and art awards organized by the SEVHAGE Literary and Development Initiative and SEVHAGE Publishers (a branch of SEVHAGE Integrated Services Ltd) in collaboration with various partners. They are open to Africans and other writers globally. Since its inception in 2019, the prizes aim to recognize and celebrate the outstanding contributions of African creatives across various categories, including poetry, prose, spoken word, drama, dance, and general writing.

Submissions are annually reviewed by a distinguished panel of judges, including established writers, editors, and literary critics. The shortlist and final announcement of winners for the awards will be announced in the final quarter of 2024. For more information about the Eugenia Abu/SEVHAGE International Prize for Creative Nonfiction and to submit your entry, please visit www.sevhage.com/prizes. For more updates and information, follow @SEVHAGE on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram.