THINGS
YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT NIGHTENGALE AWARDS
How
Nightengale Awards Started
Nightengale Awards was founded by Nightengale
Ben-Onyeukwu on 22 November 2025. It started as Nightengale Literary Awards, an
initiative created to encourage writers and give them a chance to show their
talents.
From the beginning, the founder had a bigger dream. She
wanted to build an awards organisation that would recognise people who were
doing well in different areas of life. She wanted writers, teachers, musicians,
business owners, leaders and ordinary people who were making a difference to
have a chance to be recognised.
However, starting an organisation with many branches
requires money and other resources. Since those resources were limited at the
time, the founder decided to begin with literature and grow from there.
On 22 November 2025, Nightengale Awards organised and
hosted its first live writing competition at Imperial Boarding School, Ubomiri,
Imo State. The school provided the venue for the event, but the competition was
planned and hosted by Nightengale Awards. Students from different schools took
part, and 37 participants attended.
It was a new beginning. The organisation did not start
with everything it needed, but it had a vision and a reason for starting. The
first competition gave the participants a chance to write, share their ideas
and show what they could do.
The
First Nightengale Literary Awards Ceremony
After the competition, Nightengale Awards held its first
awards ceremony on 28 February 2026 at Chapel of Peace Hall, Mbaitoli Council,
Imo State. The ceremony was organised to celebrate the participants, reward the
winners and recognise people who had made contributions to literature and
education.
Confidence Okonkwo emerged as the overall winner with her
poem, Echoes of Longevity.
She received ₦30,000, an award plaque and a copy of the book she used for the
competition.
Precious-Gold Orieukwu came second with her prose, Dark Wakefulness, and
received ₦20,000. Chizaram DivineFavour Tobechi came third with her prose, Love in the Time of Chaos.
She received ₦10,000 and an award plaque.
Three other participants also received the Emerging Voice
in Literature Award. They were Ahunwa Maryfavour, Ezuruike Precious Chimemezuwo
and Francis Chimamkpam Okenwa. The award was given to recognise their
creativity and efforts during the competition.
Nightengale Awards also used the occasion to recognise
two people who were not part of the writing competition. Dogged Comrade Nwadike
A.W. Orient received the Good Ambassador for Education and Youth Award for his
support for education and young people. Rev. Sr. Alice Nwadugwu Orji (DHS)
received the Excellence in Literature Education Award for her work in teaching
literature and helping young people learn.
All 37 participants received certificates of
participation. This was important because the organisation wanted every
participant to feel that their effort mattered, not only those who won the main
prizes.
During the ceremony, the founder encouraged the
participants not to give up on their dreams. She reminded them that big things
often begin with small steps. She encouraged them to keep writing, learning and
working towards the future they wanted.
The first ceremony was an important moment for
Nightengale Awards. It showed that even with limited resources, something
meaningful could be started.
From
Nightengale Literary Awards to Nightengale Awards
The founder never wanted the organisation to remain only
about writing. She knew that there were many people doing good things in other
areas who also deserved to be recognised.
There were teachers helping children get a better
education, people using music and entertainment to share their talents, leaders
serving their communities, health workers caring for people and individuals
helping others without expecting anything in return. Their work mattered too.
The founder wanted Nightengale Awards to create room for
all these people. She believed that recognition should not be limited to one
profession or one group of people.
After the first season, work continued towards making
this wider dream a reality. On 8 May 2026, Nightengale Awards was registered
with the Corporate Affairs Commission. The organisation also obtained its SCUML
certification on 11 June 2026.
These were important steps in the growth of the
organisation. What began as Nightengale Literary Awards had now grown into
Nightengale Awards, with a wider purpose and several branches.
The
Branches of Nightengale Awards
In Season Two, Nightengale Awards has expanded beyond
literature into several branches. These include:
1. Nightengale
Literary Awards
2. Nightengale
Education Awards
3. Nightengale
Music and Entertainment Awards
4. Nightengale
Leadership Awards
5. Nightengale
Humanitarian and Health Awards
6. Nightengale
Community Impact Awards
7. And
many more.
These are not the only areas Nightengale Awards covers.
The organisation is open to recognising people in other fields as well. Its
vision is to reach different areas of life and give people from different
backgrounds a chance to be recognised for what they have done.
As the organisation grows, more areas of recognition can
be added. It is not limited to the branches listed above.
The simple idea behind this expansion is that good work can
be found everywhere. There are people making a difference in places where
nobody is paying attention. Nightengale Awards wants such people to have a
chance to be seen and appreciated.
A
Bigger Vision for Season Two
Season Two marks an important step in the growth of
Nightengale Awards. The organisation has moved beyond its original focus on
literature and has expanded into other branches. This means that more people,
from different professions and backgrounds, can now be considered for
recognition.
The second Nightengale Literary Awards live writing
competition is scheduled for 21 November 2026 at Imperial Boarding School,
Ubomiri, Imo State. This is the same school that provided the venue for the
first competition.
Although the writing competition remains part of the
organisation, Nightengale Awards is now much more than a literary competition.
It is growing into an awards organisation with a wider reach.
The dream is to build an awards institution that people
will know and respect, both in Nigeria and beyond. The founder wants
Nightengale Awards to grow into a name that carries meaning, just as major
international awards organisations are known in their own fields.
But Nightengale Awards has its own purpose. It wants to
recognise excellence in many areas of life, not just one industry. It wants to
give recognition to people whose work deserves attention, even when they are
not famous.
The aim is not simply to hold big ceremonies or give out
beautiful plaques. The real aim is to make sure that the awards mean something
to the people who receive them.
Awards
for More Than the Famous and Wealthy
Nightengale Awards is not created only for celebrities,
rich people or those holding important positions. It is for people from
different backgrounds who have done something worth recognising.
For example, a market woman who has spent years helping
people in her community may deserve recognition. A teacher who has helped many
children learn may deserve recognition. A nurse who gives care to patients, a
farmer who has made a difference in agriculture, a writer whose work inspires
others or an ordinary person who helps people in need may also deserve an
award.
These people may not appear on television or have
thousands of followers on social media, but that does not make their work less
important.
Nightengale Awards believes that people should not have
to be rich or famous before their good work is noticed. Someone can make a
great difference without having money, a big title or public attention.
What matters is what the person has done and the good
that has come from it.
Nightengale
Awards Cannot Be Bought
One of the most important things people should know about
Nightengale Awards is that its awards are not for sale.
No one can buy an award with money, gifts or promises. A
person should receive an award because they deserve it, not because they can
afford to pay for it.
Being rich, famous or powerful does not automatically
make someone a winner. In the same way, being poor or unknown does not mean
that someone cannot receive recognition.
The founder believes that an award loses its value when
people can simply pay to receive it. If someone has to buy an award, then it no
longer carries the meaning it should have.
For this reason, Nightengale Awards is committed to
keeping its awards based on genuine work and achievement. This rule applies to
all its branches.
A
Nomination Does Not Guarantee a Win
Another important thing to understand is that being
nominated for a Nightengale Award does not mean that the person will
automatically receive an award.
A nomination means that someone's name has been put
forward for consideration. It gives the person a chance to be considered, but
it does not guarantee that they will win.
An invitation to attend the awards ceremony also does not
mean that the person will receive an award on that day. The final decision
depends on the selection process and the requirements of the particular award.
Nightengale Awards wants people to understand this from
the beginning so that there will be no confusion. The organisation is not
interested in giving awards simply to please people. It wants the recognition
to go to those who have earned it.
The same principle applies to the live writing competition.
Participants are judged according to their work. Everyone deserves a fair
chance, and no one should receive special treatment because of wealth, family
background or personal connections.
Building
Something That Will Last
Nightengale Awards is more than a ceremony or a
collection of awards. It is an organisation built around a simple belief:
people who do good things deserve to be seen.
Its purpose is to encourage people, discover talent,
celebrate hard work and recognise those who are making a difference. It also
wants to inspire others to use their abilities and contribute positively to
society.
The journey began with a live writing competition and 37
participants. From that beginning, Nightengale Awards has grown, completed its
registration, obtained its SCUML certification and expanded into several
branches.
There is still a lot to do, and the organisation is
growing step by step. The dream is to build something that will last, something
people can trust and something that will continue to recognise good work across
different fields.
Nightengale Awards may have started with literature, but
its vision goes much further. It is for the writer, the teacher, the musician,
the leader, the health worker, the business owner, the market woman and many
others who are doing something good with their lives.
A person does not have to be famous before their efforts
matter. Sometimes, the people making the biggest difference are those whose
names are hardly known.
Nightengale Awards
From Words, We Rise.
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