UBA Foundation opens 2026 National Essay Competition, raises winning prizes to N41.5m

UBA Foundation, the Corporate Social Responsibility arm of United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, has announced the commencement of the 2026 edition of its annual National Essay Competition (NEC), with a total of N41.5 million in educational grants and prizes to be awarded to the top five winners.

Now in its 16th consecutive year, the competition continues to provide senior secondary school students in Nigeria and Africa, with a platform to showcase their creativity, writing skills and critical thinking while earning financial support towards their university education.

A major highlight of this year’s competition is the expansion of educational grants to the fourth- and fifth-place winners for the first time. The first-place winner will receive a N15 million university grant, representing a 50 per cent increase from the N10 million awarded in 2025, while the second- and third-place winners will receive N10.5 million and N7.5 million respectively.

The fourth- and fifth-place winners will receive N5 million and N3.5 million each in grants towards their university education at any African university of the winners’ choice.

This year’s competition challenges students to examine one of Nigeria’s most pressing issues as they will tackle the topic: “No nation can develop without food security. How can Nigeria deal with this problem?” where participants will be expected to propose practical and sustainable solutions to Nigeria’s food security challenges.

Commenting on the initiative, the Managing Director/CEO of UBA Foundation, Bola Atta, said the competition reflects 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.”

Continuing, she said, “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.”

Eligible students are required to submit handwritten essays of no more than 750 words through the competition’s digital portal on or before Friday, 23 October 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.

The National Essay Competition remains one of UBA Foundation’s flagship education initiatives, complementing its Read Africa programme and other interventions designed to promote literacy, education and youth development across Africa.