THE Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) has opened entries for the 2026 Alfred Opubor Next-Gen Awards for Campus Journalism, inviting undergraduate student journalists across Nigerian tertiary institutions to submit their outstanding work.
The entry period covers stories published between October 1, 2025, and 30 September 2026.
The annual awards, organised through the CJID’s Next Gen Campus Reporter Project, recognise and celebrate exceptional campus journalists who use journalism to amplify student voices, uncover institutional and community issues, hold authorities accountable and report matters of public interest. The 2026 edition expands the scope of the awards to recognise excellence across six categories, including investigative journalism, which will recognise a well-researched, evidence-based story that uncovers hidden issues, institutional failures, and matters of significant public interest; community reporting that celebrates impactful reporting which highlights issues affecting communities, amplifies community voices and contributes to greater understanding or action.
Others are data journalism, which will recognise stories that effectively use data to uncover, explain, investigate or provide deeper context to public-interest issues; campus affairs, a category rewarding compelling journalism, events, policies, governance and experiences affecting students and the wider campus community
The list includes health reporting, which will reward compelling, educative and well-researched health journalism that sheds light on issues affecting their institution and/or Nigeria’s health sector and the wellbeing of communities; and reporting on inclusion, a category that will recognise impactful reporting on gender, inclusion and social marginalisation, particularly stories that amplify the experiences of underrepresented groups through compelling, human-centred and objective storytelling.
Runners-up in each category will also be recognised. One of the winners in these categories will be recognised as the Campus Journalist of the Year. The Campus Journalist of the Year prize will be awarded to a student journalist who demonstrates excellence, consistency, impact and commitment to public-interest campus journalism.
Eligible submissions may be in print, online or multimedia formats and must fall within the areas covered by the award categories. Opinion articles, conventional news reports, editorials and social media posts will not be accepted. Each student may submit only one entry per category, and there is no entry fee.
The overall winner will receive a plaque, cash prize, recognition at the CJID Excellence in Journalism Awards Ceremony and an international internship opportunity. Winners and runners-up in the other categories will receive plaques, cash prizes and certificates of recognition.
The awards are open to undergraduate student journalists across Nigerian tertiary institutions. Applicants must have been students at the time their submitted stories were published, and entries must have been published between 1 October 2025 and 30 September 2026. Stories may have been published on the Campus Reporter website or other recognised media platforms.
The submission deadline is 1 October 2026. Interested applicants can apply here.
Blessing Otoibhi is a Multimedia Journalist and Anchor host for the News in 60 seconds at The International Center For Investigative Reporting. You can shoot her a mail via Botoibhi@icirnigeria.org or connect on Twitter @B_otoibhi