Nigerian artists have until 25 October 2026 to enter YoruBuddy, the German Consulate General in Lagos’s art competition offering a ₦1.5 million prize. The organisers are inviting original interpretations of the Buddy Bear, with a focus on Nigerian creativity and the cultural connections between Nigeria and Germany.
The competition website gives the closing time as 11.59pm West Africa Time on Sunday. Entry is free and open to Nigerian artists, including students, self-taught practitioners and professionals.
Although the project’s name combines Yoruba and Buddy Bear, its organisers say entries need not adopt a traditionally Yoruba style. The edition is rooted in Lagos and the Southwest, but welcomes influences including Nsibidi, Uli, Osogbo, Ibadan and Auchi, alongside each artist’s own visual language.
Entrants are asked to show how their proposed design would appear on the full-size bear. The website provides a front-and-back template and specifies one JPG or PDF file of up to 10 megabytes, accompanied by a concept statement, biodata and contact details.
The project brief identifies sculptor Dotun Popoola as the artist mentor. Selected finalists are expected to develop their concepts, take part in an online pitch and receive feedback before the final evaluation. The organisers will also carry out due diligence during finalist development.
The brief asks applicants to explain the story behind their bear, their inspiration, artistic technique and connection with Yoruba or African creativity. It calls for an artist profile, relevant portfolio information, a concept description and an account of the proposed creative process.
Its application checklist also specifies a concept description of no more than 2,000 words and a recorded three-minute pitch. Applicants are instructed to complete the online form, check their uploads and retain any submission confirmation or reference number.
Under the published competition terms, each artist may submit one entry. The jury will assess originality, artistic execution, clarity of concept, cultural resonance and the entrant’s individual voice. Ten finalists will be selected for an exhibition scheduled for 3 November.
The terms state that artists retain copyright in their original work while granting the organisers a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence for competition-related publicity, exhibitions, media coverage and archival use. Any separate acquisition or commission would require its own agreement.
AI artists are excluded under the rules, which require the final artwork to be painted or sculpted by a practising artist. Digital, textile, graphic and fashion designers may participate but must explain how they would execute the finished bear. Adhesive-mounted, pre-printed materials are ineligible.
The organisers’ published materials differ on when the winner will be named. The website’s frequently asked questions point to the 3 November exhibition at the German Consulate in Victoria Island, while the terms and the brief’s timeline place the announcement in December.
Buddy Bear Berlin describes its wider project as promoting peaceful coexistence and understanding between people of different cultures, religions and origins. Individually decorated bears appear in locations ranging from embassies and companies to private gardens.
The German missions have directed applicants to yorubuddy.com. The competition terms specify that entries must be submitted through that official website, with entrants responsible for confirming successful receipt.
Archive location photograph: Ayorinde Ogundele, Victoria Island, Lagos, 12 September 2024. This photograph does not show the German Consulate, YoruBuddy entrants, the exhibition or a proposed bear design. Source, CC BY-SA 4.0. Prepared landscape and social versions are cropped and resized; photographic adaptations retain the same licence.
