The cash prize covers the educational grants for the winners to study at any African university of their choice.
A breakdown of the cash prizes for the winners showed that the overall winner will receive a N10 million university grant, which represents a substantial 33% increase up from the N7.5 million awarded last year.
The second and third-place winners will each receive N7.5 million and N5 million educational grants, respectively, up from the N5 million and N3.5 million awarded last year.
The students are required to research on and write on the essay topic: “Nigeria is characterised by diverse cultures, ethnicities, and religions. How can young Nigerians deploy diversity to build a united nation?”The Managing Director/CEO, UBA Foundation, Bola Atta, emphasized on the opportunities the competition offers to students, stressing that the foundation has continued to invest in the initiative.“The deliberate and significant increase in the value of these educational grants underscores our dedication to investing in academic excellence and alleviating the financial burden of higher education for Nigerian students and their families. We are confident that this will further inspire a culture of academic achievement and critical thinking,” she said.
According to her the foundation remains deeply committed to creating impactful opportunities for the youth, who are the future of our continent.
“The NEC is part of UBA Foundation’s education initiative, which is aimed at promoting literacy and encouraging healthy intellectual competition amongst senior secondary school students in Nigeria and across the African continent,” she said.
The deadline for submission of entries is Friday, October 17th, 2025, and applications can be accessed and submitted through the Foundation’s official website or by scanning the QR code available on the posters and websites.
To be eligible, participants must be Nigerian students in senior secondary school and are required to submit scanned copies of their handwritten essays (not more than 750 words), a recent passport photograph, and a copy of their birth certificate, National ID, or international passport via the dedicated portal on the UBA Foundation’s official website.
