Nigeria: CJID Announces Finalists for the 2026 Alfred Opubor Next-Gen Awards for Campus Journalism

What the report says

The Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), based in Abuja, has announced the finalists for the 2026 Alfred Opubor Next-Gen Awards for Campus Journalism. According to AllAfrica’s source article, the awards are part of CJID’s Next Gen Campus Reporter Project and are meant to recognise student journalists whose work shows public-interest reporting, accountability, and attention to underrepresented voices.

The 2026 edition covers six categories: investigative journalism, community reporting, data journalism, campus affairs, health reporting, and reporting on inclusion. CJID said finalists were drawn from undergraduate entries submitted by students at Nigerian tertiary institutions. In all, 12 campus journalists — a winner and runner-up in each category — plus one overall winner reached the final stage. The organisation said the shortlisted stories address issues affecting communities and institutions and reflect the role of campus journalism in holding decision-makers accountable.

The awards are named for Alfred Opubor, described in the report as Nigeria’s first professor of mass communication, in recognition of his contribution to journalism education and communication scholarship. CJID said finalists have already been contacted and will be formally unveiled at the award ceremony on 27 November. Winners are set to be announced during CJID’s annual Media and Development Conference and Excellence in Journalism Dinner and Award Night.

The report adds that the overall winner will receive a plaque, cash prize and an international internship opportunity, while other category winners and runners-up will also receive recognition prizes. More broadly, the awards have been used since 2018 to mentor and spotlight emerging journalists in Nigerian universities.