UBA Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, has opened entries for the 2026 edition of its National Essay Competition, with N41 million earmarked as educational grants and prizes for the top five winners.

The competition, now in its 16th consecutive year, provides senior secondary school students in Nigeria and across Africa with an opportunity to demonstrate their writing skills, creativity and critical thinking while receiving financial support for their university education.

For the first time, the fourth- and fifth-place winners will also receive educational grants.

The first-place winner will receive a N15 million university grant, representing a 50 per cent increase from the N10 million awarded to the winner in 2025. 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 respectively towards their university education at any African university of their choice.

This year’s competition focuses on Nigeria’s food security challenges, with participants required to write on the topic: “No nation can develop without food security. How can Nigeria deal with this problem?”

The students are expected to examine the country’s food security situation and propose practical and sustainable solutions.

Commenting on the initiative, the Managing Director/CEO of UBA Foundation, Bola Atta, said the competition was part of the Foundation’s efforts to empower 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 must be Nigerian senior secondary school students and are required to submit handwritten essays of not more than 750 words through the competition’s digital portal by Friday, October 23, 2026.

Applicants are also required to complete the online application form and upload their handwritten essays, 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 flagship education initiatives and complements its Read Africa programme and other interventions aimed at promoting literacy, education and youth development across the continent.