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UBA Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, has opened entries for the 2026 edition of its annual National Essay Competition (NEC), with N41 million in educational grants and prizes for the top five winners.
Now in its 16th consecutive year, the competition is open to senior secondary school students in Nigeria and provides a platform for them to demonstrate their writing skills, creativity and critical thinking while receiving financial support for their university education.
A major change in this year’s competition is the inclusion of educational grants for the fourth- and fifth-place winners.
The first-place winner will receive a N15 million university grant, up from N10 million in 2025, representing a 50 per cent increase.
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 each.
The grants are to support the winners’ university education at any African university of their choice.
The 2026 competition focuses on Nigeria’s food security challenge, with participants expected to write on the topic: “No nation can develop without food security. How can Nigeria deal with this problem?”
The Foundation said the topic is aimed at encouraging students to develop practical and sustainable solutions to the country’s food security problems.
Managing Director/CEO, UBA Foundation, Bola Atta, said the competition demonstrated the Foundation’s commitment to empowering young Nigerians to contribute 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.”
Atta added: “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 applicants are required to submit handwritten essays of not 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.
The National Essay Competition is one of UBA Foundation’s major education initiatives and complements its Read Africa programme and other interventions aimed at promoting literacy, education and youth development across Africa.
