UBA Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, has commenced the 2026 edition of its National Essay Competition (NEC), with N41 million earmarked for educational grants and prizes for the top five winners.
Now in its 16th consecutive year, the competition provides senior secondary school students with an opportunity to demonstrate their writing, creativity and critical-thinking abilities while securing financial support for university education.
The 2026 edition introduces an expanded prize structure, with educational grants extended to fourth- and fifth-place winners for the first time.
The first-place winner will receive a N15 million university grant, representing a 50 percent 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 each.
The grants can be used towards university education at any African university of the winners’ choice, further widening the educational opportunities available to participants.
This year’s competition is centred on food security, with participants required to address the topic: “No nation can develop without food security. How can Nigeria deal with this problem?”
UBA Foundation said the essay topic is designed to encourage young Nigerians to develop practical and sustainable solutions to the country’s food security challenges, an issue with implications for economic development and national self-sufficiency.
Bola Atta, managing director/CEO, UBA Foundation, said the competition reflects the Foundation’s commitment to equipping young people with the opportunity to contribute ideas to national development.
“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,” she said.
Atta said this year’s theme was particularly important because it challenges students to consider how Nigeria can feed its population and secure its future.
“We believe the young minds of today hold the key to a more prosperous and self-sufficient Nigeria,” she added.
Eligible applicants are Nigerian senior secondary school students, who are required to submit handwritten essays of not more than 750 words through the competition’s digital portal by Friday, October 23, 2026.
Applicants must complete the online application and upload their handwritten essay, a recent passport photograph and a valid identification document, including a birth certificate, National Identity card or international passport.
The National Essay Competition remains one of UBA Foundation’s flagship education interventions, alongside its Read Africa programme and other initiatives focused on literacy, education and youth development across the continent.
By increasing the value and breadth of its educational grants, the Foundation is positioning the 2026 competition not only as a platform for intellectual expression but also as a direct education-financing intervention for young Nigerians.
