UBA Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, has announced the commencement of the 2026 edition of its National Essay Competition (NEC), with educational grants and prizes worth N41.5 million for the top five winners.
Now in its 16th consecutive year, the competition is designed to encourage senior secondary school students across Nigeria to demonstrate their creativity, writing ability and critical thinking while competing for university education grants.
A major feature of this year’s edition is the expansion of the prize category to include fourth- and fifth-place winners for the first time.
The overall winner will receive a N15 million educational grant for study at any African university of their choice, representing a 50 per cent increase from the N10 million awarded in 2025.
The second- and third-place winners will receive N10.5 million and N7.5 million respectively, while the fourth- and fifth-place winners will receive N5 million and N3.5 million.
Participants are expected to write on the topic: “No nation can develop without food security. How can Nigeria deal with this problem?”
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They are required to propose practical and sustainable solutions to the country’s food security challenges.
Eligible students are required to submit handwritten essays of no more than 750 words through the competition’s digital portal on or before Friday, October 23, 2026.
Applicants must be Nigerian senior secondary school students and are required to complete the online application form and upload their handwritten essay, a recent passport photograph, and a valid birth certificate, National ID card or international passport.
Speaking on the competition, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of UBA Foundation, Bola Atta, said the initiative underscores the Foundation’s commitment to empowering young Nigerians to contribute meaningfully to national development.
She said: “For well over a decade, the National Essay Competition has provided a vital platform for our secondary school students to express their ideas and showcase their intellectual prowess.
“This year’s topic is particularly crucial, as it tasks them to confront one of the defining questions of our time, which is how we feed our nation and secure its future. We believe the young minds of today hold the key to a more prosperous and self-sufficient Nigeria.”
The National Essay Competition is one of UBA Foundation’s flagship education initiatives and complements its Read Africa programme and other interventions aimed at promoting literacy, education and youth development across the continent.
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