As part of the countdown to the conference, Afrocritik is sponsoring “Outside The Box”, a week-long challenge running from 13th July, 2026 to 19th July, 2026.
By Adedamola Jones Adedayo
CreativeCon ‘26, an initiative of the Law Students’ Society of the University of Lagos (LSS UNILAG), has announced the launch of “Outside The Box: The CreativeCon Countdown Challenge”, a creative digital competition organised in partnership with Afrocritik as part of activities leading to the CreativeCon ‘26 Grand Finale Conference scheduled to hold on 22nd July, 2026 at Jelili Omotola Hall, University of Lagos.
CreativeCon ‘26 is structured in three phases comprising the “Flip The Brand Challenge”, a series of virtual masterclasses, and the Grand Finale Conference. The “Flip The Brand Challenge” required participants to select traditional or local Nigerian businesses with limited creative or digital branding presence and develop premium rebranding concepts using skills in design, videography, storytelling, and content creation. This was followed by virtual masterclasses delivered across six tracks: content creation and storytelling; copywriting and content writing; graphic design; photography; social media management; and videography and video editing.
The Grand Finale Conference will feature keynote sessions, panel discussions, a fireside conversation with Afrocritik, and a certification ceremony for participants who completed the workshop programme. The event will also bring together professionals from the creative, media, technology, and business sectors.
As part of the countdown to the conference, Afrocritik is sponsoring “Outside The Box”, a week-long challenge running from 13th July, 2026 to 19th July, 2026. The competition is open to creatives working across cultural essays, short stories, poetry, spoken word, painting, digital illustration, short films, video essays, and original music.
Participants are required to produce original works of deep cultural reflection on the theme, “The more times evolve, the more they remain the same”, using their preferred medium of expression. Entries will be assessed across all categories and the top three submissions will receive cash prizes of ₦200,000, ₦150,000, and ₦100,000 respectively, in addition to customised Afrocritik merchandise.
Winning entries will also be featured during the CreativeCon ‘26 Grand Finale Conference. Winning video essays will be screened during the event, while selected spoken word and musical performances will be presented live at the conference.
To participate, entrants are required to follow @Afrocritik and @LSSUNILAG on social media, publish their entries publicly on their personal platforms, tag both accounts, and include the hashtags #AfrocritikOutsideTheBox and #CreativeCon2026. Written submissions, including essays and short stories, must not exceed 1,500 words, while spoken word performances, short films, video essays, and music are capped at three minutes.
Registration for attendance at the CreativeCon ‘26 Grand Finale Conference remains open here ahead of the event on 22nd July, 2026.