Nigerian artist Uzoma Dunkwu, who is based in Lagos, has won an Emmy Award for his creative work on Marvel Animation’s Eyes of Wakanda.

Dunkwu received the Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation, Character Design award for the episode Into the Lion’s Den of the Disney+ animated series.

The Television Academy named Dunkwu among the 2026 juried Emmy winners in August, with the awards presented during the Creative Arts Emmy ceremonies in Los Angeles in September.

The recognition marks a major milestone in Dunkwu’s career, which he has largely built from Lagos as a visual development artist, character designer, animation director and educator.

Dunkwu studied Electrical and Electronics Engineering at the University of Benin but developed his artistic skills independently, eventually moving into comics, illustration, concept art and animation.

His portfolio includes work for major entertainment companies such as Marvel, Netflix and Disney, with credits as a character designer on Eyes of Wakanda, Iyanu and Iyanu: The Age of Wonders.

Dunkwu joined the production of Eyes of Wakanda in 2021 as an early concept artist. He worked on initial character ideas and developed designs for five Dora Milaje characters, including Noni, with his early work later helping shape the designs used throughout the series.

Reacting to the award, Dunkwu described the achievement as a life-changing moment for himself and his family, dedicating the recognition to emerging artists from Nigeria and the Global South.

He said the award showed that Nigerian creatives could compete successfully on the global stage.

Dunkwu also expressed appreciation to Marvel Studios, the Television Academy and the Eyes of Wakanda creative team for giving him the opportunity to contribute to the project.