The Federal Government has a announced the commencement of an inclusive National Independence Celebration program that will see to it that the thematic and creative aspects of the 60th anniversary are designed by Nigerians for Nigeria.
Through the program, the government intends to use the opportunity to harness the power of Nigeria’s creative minds to create a new brand identity around the anniversary theme which will be celebrated in the public space for the next one year.
The challenge will include selecting the best slogan, the best poem, and the best photograph that best embodies the theme “Together as one”.The best concepts from each category of the challenge will be selected by a mixture of several assessment criteria including a jury.The top three finalists will present their work to President Mohammad u Buhari, while their work would be used in celebrating Nigeria’s 60th Anniversary. They will receive cash prizes, in addition to being part of the epoch-making event.
According to the program coordinator, Dr Is a Pantami, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, the challenge will be done online with the exception of the Demo.
“As part of the efforts to make Nigeria a digital economy and in line with the current Covid19 crisis, the entire event with the exception of the demo day will be done remotely via an online portal. This ensures safer, faster, transparent, and more effective execution.”
Also speaking on the event, Minister Of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed said “The new brand must be impactful both at the national level fostering unity and at international level to enhance positive impression of the country.
Accordingly, applications are now welcome from individuals and teams for the three categories of the creative challenge. The best concepts will be screened and the top three from each of the categories will be selected by a jury of professional writers, poets, and photographers. The finalists will make presentations to the President and winners will be announced on the 1st October 2020.
Prizes to be won include the sum of ₦3,000,000, an award Plaque and certificate of accomplishment for the best winner, ₦1,500,000, Award Plaque and Certificate of Accomplishment for the second runner up and ₦1,000,000, Award Plaque and Certificate of Accomplishment for the third position.
In line with the program criteria and guideline, the challenge will produce the best content towards celebrating Nigeria @60. The challenge is open to all Nigerians of all ages and backgrounds as submissions will be accepted by individuals and a team of not more than four people.
All Submissions must be relevant to the theme of the anniversary. Submissions must be memorable, creative, and reusable within the public space for the period of the next one year. All submissions must be made via the portal and Information to be submitted must include the full name and contact details including postal address, contact number, and email of the Lead applicant.
All shortlisted applications will undergo screening to confirm identity and ownership. The jury will score submissions based on relevance to the theme, originality, creativity, impact and presentation. The four-word slogan challenge requires participants to provide a four-word slogan fitting the theme of Nigeria @ 60 Challenge: “Together as @60”. The Photographs will be used in official postal stamp by NIPOST for a period of one year. The slogan will be used in any communication material throughout the year.
