Nigerian writer, playwright, and poet Wole Soyinka (1934) was honoured by universities, literary organisations, government agencies, and special interest groups. His honours include the 1986 Nobel Prize in Literature for his "wide cultural perspective and poetic overtones fashioning the drama of existence" and the Special Prize category of the Europe Theatre Prize in 2017 for his consistency "as a proponent of an ideal bridge between Europe and Africa in a deeply delicate period for the present and the future of our continent".

In 1986, Soyinka was conferred the Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR), a national honour of Nigeria, by Ibrahim Babangida.

Awards Year Honor Notes Ref.1983RSL FellowElected by the Royal Society of Literature.Anisfield-Wolf Book AwardFor his autobiography, Ake: The Years of Childhood.1986Nobel Prize in LiteratureFor Soyinka's literary works.Eni Enrico Mattei Prize for the HumanitiesFunded by Agip.Commander of the Order of the Federal RepublicAwarded by Ibrahim Babangida; The award is the second highest national honour of Nigeria. 1999Benson MedalAwarded by the Royal Society of Literature.2009Golden Plate AwardGiven by the American Academy of Achievement, this award was presented to Soyinka by Archbishop Desmond Tutu at an awards ceremony at St. George's Cathedral, Cape Town, South Africa.2013Lifetime Achievement AwardPart of the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards.2014International Humanist AwardAwarded by International Humanist and Ethical Union (presently called Humanists International).2017 "Special Prize", Europe Theatre Prize Given by the European Commission to a person, according to them, who has "contributed to the realisation of cultural events that promote understanding and the exchange of knowledge between peoples".

Honorary degrees University of Leeds, 1973 Yale University, 1980 University of Toronto, 1992 Harvard University, 1993 Emory University, 1996 SOAS University of London, 2002 Princeton University, 2005 Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, 2018 University of Cambridge, 2022

Other awards 1989: Soyinka was enstooled as the "Akogun of Isara-Remo", a Nigerian chief, by the Odemo of the Isara people, his paternal clan. 2005: Soyinka was enstooled as the "Akinlatun of Egbaland", a Nigerian chief, by the Alake of the Egba people, his maternal clan.

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