The 3rd edition of the Minna Photography Contest was successfully held on May 16th and 17th, 2025, at the headquarters of the Hill-Top Creative Arts Foundation in Minna, Niger State. The event is sponsored by the TIMEOUT4AFRICA Foundation and administered by the Hill-Top Creative Arts Foundation (HCAF).
This year’s first quarter contest, aimed at promoting digital artistry and visual storytelling among secondary school students, witnessed a total of 23 vibrant participants from 9 secondary schools (both public and private) in Minna, Niger State.
Participating schools include:
1. Himma International College, Minna
2. Faruq Bahago International School, Minna
3. Federal Government College, Minna
4. Baiwa International School, Minna
5. Royal Hilton School, Minna
6. Legend International School, Minna
7. Aisha International Islamic Academy, Minna
8. Fr. O’Connell Science College, Minna
9. Hilltop Model School, Minna
The opening ceremony featured welcome addresses from the Art Director of HCAF, Awwal Abdullahi Sakiwa; Mr John Tsado of Timeout4Africa; and HCAF Director of Media, Mr Abel Onafurume. The Chief Judge delivered a brief but intensive masterclass for this edition, Miracle Ugbede Adah, the CEO of M Creation Global Consult and First Runner-up in the 2025 Naija Photo Contest organized by the Niger State Government. His lecture focused on the principles of artistic photography, framing, storytelling, ethical public photography and many more.
Students were later conveyed to Minna Mobil Garage, a busy location at the heart of Minna, the city’s capital, for the shooting session which formed the core of their photography entries. The themes explored were based on the intricate nature of the past and present, urban lifestyle, Minna constructions, and human expressions and connections. The contestants, upon return, selected their 2 best shots for printing, collation and judging.
The second day of the event witnessed a photo exhibition, scoring and closing ceremony, where a Keynote Address was delivered by the Special Guest of Honor, Alhaji Mustapha Abdullahi Ango, Fmr. Registrar, IBB University Lapai. Special remarks were also delivered by Dr Hauwa Kolo, Coordinator, STEM Project, Timeout4Africa, Mr John Tsado, Assistant Project Coordinator, Timeout4 Africa Foundation Minna; and Ojo Olumide Emmanuel, Chief Mentor and Director, Minna Creative Writing Program, who spoke on behalf of Hill-Top Creative Arts Foundation’s National Coordinator, Mr Makama Shekwoaga.
The top 8 participants were awarded certificates, cash prizes and medals for the first three winners as follows:
- 1st Position (Certificate, Gold Medal and ₦70,000) – Victor Bayo, Federal Government College, Minna
- 2nd Position (Certificate, Silver Medal and ₦50,000) – Elton S. Emmanuel, Royal Hilton School, Minna
- 3rd Position (Certificate, Bronze Medal and ₦30,000) – Maimuna Aliyu Ebbo, Baiwa International School, Minna
- 4th Position (Certificate and ₦10,000) – Aminu Haruna Gbodoti, Fr. O’Connell Science College, Minna
- 5th Position (Certificate and ₦10,000) – Isaac Ajibola, Hilltop Model School, Minna
- 6th position (Certificate and ₦10,000) – Salihu Muhammad Ebba, Legend International School, Minna
- 7th Position (Certificate and ₦10,000) – Salim Aliyu, Fr. O’Connell Science College, Minna
- 8th Position (Certificate and ₦10,000) – Moses Jordan, Federal Government College, Minna
One of the highlights of the closing ceremony was the official presentation of the Residents of the 3rd Muktar Aliyu Art Residency (MAAR), Mujahid Ameen Lilo from Kano State and Ebri Kowaki from Enugu State. The director of MAAR, Mrs Zainab Dzukogi, welcomed them to Minna for the 21-day programme and wished them a happy stay as they enjoyed the beautiful environment.
The 3rd edition of the Minna Photography Contest proved to be an inspiring and transformative platform for emerging student photographers. As part of the timeless efforts by the Hill-Top Creative Arts Foundation to develop the role of arts and creativity in secondary school students, we strongly look forward to the 4th edition with higher participation and exemplary excellence nurtured in students of the Minna environs.
