The UBA Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, has flagged off the 2025 edition of its annual National Essay Competition (NEC), with winners set to clinch educational grants and consolation prizes totalling more than N18 million.
Now in its 15th year, the competition invites senior secondary school students across Nigeria to write on the theme: “Nigeria is characterised by diverse cultures, ethnicities, and religions. How can young Nigerians deploy diversity to build a united nation?”
According to the organisers, entries must be scanned and submitted digitally on or before Friday, 17 October.
Prize money increased
In a bid to deepen its commitment to education and youth development, the foundation has significantly increased the prize money for this year’s competition.
While the first-place winner will receive a university grant of N10 million to study at any African university, up from N7.5 million awarded last year, the second-place and third-place winners will get N7.5 million and N5 million respectively, compared to N5 million and N3.5 million previously.
The Managing Director/CEO of UBA Foundation, Bola Atta, said the new prize structure reflects the foundation’s determination to reward excellence and expand opportunities for young Nigerians.
Building unity through diversity
Mrs Atta underscored the significance of the initiative, noting that young minds have a vital role to play in fostering national cohesion, particularly at a time when unity is most needed in Nigeria.
“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. In fact, parents and pupils have come to look forward to the NEC as they keep calling to ask about the commencement,” she said.
She described this year’s topic as particularly crucial as it tasks them to look at the country’s greatest asset “which is our diversity, and devise ways to leverage it for unity, growth, and national development. We believe the young minds of today hold the key to a more harmonious and prosperous Nigeria.”
Eligibility
According to the organisers, to be eligible to participate in the competition, applicants must be Nigerian senior secondary school students with interested candidates required to complete the online application form, upload a handwritten essay of no more than 750 words on the given topic, attach a recent passport photograph, and provide a valid birth certificate, National ID card, or international passport.
The deadline for submission of entries is 17 October, and applications can be accessed and submitted via the Foundation’s official website ubagroup.com/uba-foundation/national-essay-competition/, or by scanning the QR code provided on the promotional posters.
About the national competition
The national essay competition is one of UBA Foundation’s flagship educational initiatives designed to inspire critical thinking, foster a vibrant reading culture, and empower the next generation of leaders.
Mrs Atta noted that the programme has been rolled out not only in Nigeria but also in other African countries where UBA operates, extending the opportunity for more young African children to benefit from its educational grants.
“The Foundation embodies the UBA Group’s corporate social responsibility objectives and seeks to positively impact societies through several laudable projects and initiatives. Through its Education pillar, the Foundation has donated hundreds of thousands of books to students across Africa under the ‘Read Africa’ initiative aimed at encouraging and promoting the reading culture in African youths.
“Its national essay competition has also afforded the opportunity to hundreds of students to improve their lives through higher education,”
