The UBA Foundation has opened entries for the 2026 National Essay Competition (NEC), offering a total of N41 million in educational grants and prizes to the top five winners.
Now in its 16th year, the competition is open to Nigerian senior secondary school students and aims to promote writing, creativity and critical thinking while supporting winners with funding for university education.
The first-place winner will receive a N15 million university grant, up from N10 million in 2025.
The other winners will receive:
- Second place: N10.5 million
- Third place: N7.5 million
- Fourth place: N5 million
- Fifth place: N3.5 million
The grants can be used to support university education at any African university of the winners’ choice.
This year’s edition also introduces educational grants for the fourth- and fifth-place winners, expanding the number of students receiving financial support.
The 2026 competition will focus on Nigeria’s food security challenge. Participants are required to write on the topic:
“No nation can develop without food security. How can Nigeria deal with this problem?”
The UBA Foundation said the topic is intended to encourage young Nigerians to explore practical and sustainable solutions to food insecurity.
UBA Foundation Managing Director/CEO, Bola Atta, said the competition continues to provide secondary school students with a platform to express their ideas and contribute to national development.
Eligible applicants must be Nigerian senior secondary school students and submit a handwritten essay of not more than 750 words through the competition’s digital portal.
Applicants are required to complete the online application form and upload their handwritten essay alongside a recent passport photograph and an accepted proof of identity or age.
The application deadline is Friday, October 23, 2026.
The National Essay Competition is part of UBA Foundation’s education initiatives, alongside its Read Africa programme and other projects supporting literacy, education and youth development across Africa.
