UBA Foundation Raises National Essay Competition 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
The United Bank for Africa (UBA) Foundation has unveiled the 2026 edition of its National Essay Competition, pledging a total of N41.5 million in educational grants and awards for the top five participants. This marks the 16th consecutive year of the competition, which aims to foster creativity, writing abilities, and critical thinking among senior secondary school students across Nigeria and Africa.
This year's competition introduces a significant change, with the fourth- and fifth-place winners receiving educational grants for the first time.
The first-place winner will now receive a substantial N15 million university grant, a 50% increase from the N10 million awarded in 2025. The second-place winner will get N10.5 million, while the third-place participant will be awarded N7.5 million. The fourth- and fifth-place winners will each receive N5 million and N3.5 million respectively in grants for their university education at any African university of their choice.
Speaking about the initiative, Bola Atta, Managing Director/CEO of UBA Foundation, emphasized the competition's role in empowering young Nigerians to contribute meaningfully to national development. She stated, "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."
Written by urgent.news from This Day's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
