The Ray Ekpu Prize for Investigative Journalism has started accepting entries for its 2026 edition. This year, the total prize money is now N1.75 million for investigative journalists from Akwa Ibom. Two new sponsors have joined this initiative, which began five years ago to support accountability in journalism.
The Ray Ekpu Prize Committee made the announcement in a Facebook post on Thursday. They stated that entries opened on 5 October and will close on 23 October.
This competition is open to members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists who are from Akwa Ibom and work in Nigeria.
The 2026 edition is sponsored by the Inoyo Toro Foundation, the Ibom Heritage Preservation Foundation, and Umoh Joshua. With these new sponsors, the total prize money has increased from N1 million to N1.75 million.
The overall winner will take home N1 million. The first runner-up will get N500,000, while the second runner-up will receive N250,000.
How Inoyo started the prize
The prize was announced in July 2021 by Udom Inoyo, a lawyer and former executive of ExxonMobil in Nigeria. He wanted to recognize excellent investigative journalism and encourage journalists to hold public officials accountable.
The Inoyo Toro Foundation formally launched the award in September 2021. They named it after Ray Ekpu, a respected Nigerian journalist and co-founder of Newswatch magazine.
Initially, the award for 2023 had a prize of N500,000 for the winner. In 2024, when Thompson & Grace Investment Ltd became a sponsor, the prize expanded to include N300,000 for the first runner-up and N200,000 for the second runner-up.
At that time, Mr Inoyo described the initiative as a way to improve journalism in Akwa Ibom State and Nigeria. He said the award aims to reward quality, factual investigative work and motivate journalists to uphold their watchdog duties.
Mr Inoyo retired from ExxonMobil after over 30 years. He reached the position of vice-chairman of the company's Nigerian branches. He studied political science and law at the University of Calabar and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1988.
He created the Inoyo Toro Foundation in 2007 to support education and human development. This includes recognizing teachers and mentoring students in Akwa Ibom.
Through the foundation, he has continued to support the journalism award, which has increased its prize money over the years. The inclusion of the Ibom Heritage Preservation Foundation and Mr Joshua as sponsors for the 2026 edition brings even more support.
The award honors Mr Ekpu, whose journalism career includes co-founding Newswatch in 1985 with Dele Giwa, Dan Agbese, and Yakubu Mohammed. The magazine became well-known for investigative reporting and political journalism in Nigeria.
PREMIUM TIMES journalists among past winners
Ekemini Simon, a reporter from PREMIUM TIMES, is a four-time winner of the Ray Ekpu Prize. He won the award before joining the newspaper.
Mr Simon was also a runner-up in the 2024 edition, where Cletus Ukpong, the regional editor of PREMIUM TIMES, won the prize. Saviour Imukudo, another PREMIUM TIMES journalist, was a runner-up in the 2025 edition.
These journalists' achievements show that the award recognizes investigative work that checks public institutions, highlights wrongdoing, and promotes accountability.
Eligibility and judging criteria
According to the committee, eligible reports must be published or broadcast between 21 October 2025 and 20 October 2026. Entries can come from print, online, radio, and TV journalism.
Applicants must provide proof of publication or broadcast. This includes details of the date, time, and media organization. TV entries must include a video recording of the broadcast.
Entries will be judged based on six criteria: depth of investigation, adherence to journalistic standards, style and language, contribution to good governance, impact on the fight against corruption, and contribution to national unity.
The committee states that depth of investigation and journalistic standards each carry 20 points. Style and language are worth 15 points, while the other three criteria are worth 15 points each.
Interested journalists can apply through rayekpuprize.org by clicking on "Apply Now", creating an account, completing their profiles, and submitting their entries.
The committee said winners will be announced at a public event later this year.
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