Write, Win & Study: UBA Foundation Offers ₦41.5 Million To Five Students In 2026 Essay Contest
By TIMOTHY HAGGERTY-NWOKOLO
A Bigger Prize Pool for Young Writers
THE UBA Foundation has opened applications for its 2026 National Essay Competition, offering a combined ₦41.5 million in educational grants and prizes to five Nigerian secondary school students.
Now in its 16th year, the competition targets senior secondary school students across Nigeria.
Beyond rewarding writing ability, the initiative seeks to encourage creativity, critical thinking and young people’s participation in conversations about national development.
First Prize Rises to ₦15 Million
The 2026 edition comes with an increased reward for the overall winner.
The first-place winner will receive a ₦15 million university education grant, compared with ₦10 million awarded to the winner in 2025.
The second-place winner will receive ₦10.5 million, while the third-place winner will get ₦7.5 million.
The fourth and fifth-place winners will receive ₦5 million and ₦3.5 million respectively.
The foundation said the grants can be used towards university education at any African university of the winners’ choice.
This year also marks the first time that fourth- and fifth-place finalists will receive educational grants.
Food Security Takes Centre Stage
The 2026 competition focuses on one of Nigeria’s most pressing development challenges: food security.
Participants are expected to write on the topic:
“No nation can develop without food security. How can Nigeria deal with this problem?”
The choice of topic gives students an opportunity to examine issues surrounding food production, access, affordability and national development while proposing solutions from their own perspectives.
What Applicants Must Submit
Eligible students must submit a handwritten essay of no more than 750 words through the competition’s digital portal. (CLICK HERE), (CLICK HERE)
Applications close on Friday 23 October 2026.
Applicants must also upload a recent passport photograph and provide one of the required identity documents: a valid birth certificate, National Identity card or international passport.
UBA Foundation Managing Director and CEO, Bola Atta, said the competition has continued to give secondary school students a platform to express their ideas and demonstrate their intellectual ability.
She said the initiative allows young Nigerians to contribute their perspectives to issues affecting the country’s development.
For successful students, the competition could therefore offer more than recognition. It could also provide significant financial support as they prepare for university education.
