Punocracy Prize for Satire 2026: Win ₦500,000 for Your Satirical Writing

Punocracy is inviting young Nigerian writers to submit their best works of satire for the 2026 Prize for Satire, with a top prize of ₦500,000.

Founded in March 2018, Punocracy provides a platform for writers who use humour to engage with social and political issues. The prize aims to promote satire as an effective form of socio-political commentary in Nigeria and encourage greater interest in the genre.

 

About the Punocracy Prize for Satire

The 2026 edition is open to creative works that demonstrate a strong understanding of satire. Entries can take a wide range of forms, including prose, drama, news reports, poetry, speeches, bills, letters, manuals, prophecies, essays, advertisements and quasi-scriptural passages.

There are no restrictions on subject matter. However, organisers encourage participants to write about issues that remain relevant and meaningful beyond the immediate moment.

The organisers will publish all longlisted entries on the Punocracy website and announce the winners before the end of 2026.

 

Eligibility

The competition is open to Nigerians aged 15 to 30 as of December 2026.

Each participant may submit only one entry.

Submissions must:

• Be written in English.
• Be submitted as a .doc or .docx file.
• Be between 500 and 2,000 words. Poetry may be slightly shorter.
• Be written by one person; jointly authored entries are not accepted.
• Be unpublished.
• Be original and free from plagiarism.
• Be genuinely satirical.
• Not be generated using a large language model.

 

Prizes

The winner will receive ₦500,000, while the second- and third-place winners will receive ₦200,000 and ₦150,000, respectively.

All winners will also receive certificates and bragging rights.

The first prize is supported by Joshua Olufemi, Founder of Dataphyte Foundation, while the second prize is supported by Dámiláre Dòsùnmú, AI Ecosystem Researcher at Inclusive AI Lab.

The total cash prize pool is ₦850,000.

 

Deadline

The deadline for submissions is 11:59 p.m. WAT on Saturday,

October 31, 2026.

 

How to Apply for the Punocracy Prize for Satire

Eligible writers can submit their entries through the official Google Form:

Apply for the Punocracy Prize for Satire 2026

For questions about the competition, contact hello@punocracy.com.

Punocracy is also open to volunteers who would like to support the competition as judges or in other capacities.

 

Improve Your Creative Writing

Writers looking to strengthen their creative writing skills can explore the Free Creative Writing Course from Creative Writing News.

You can also read this Creative Writing News resource for additional writing guidance and inspiration.