To encourage literacy among students, UBA Foundation has launched its 2024 National Essay Competition with a call for entries. UBA Foundation focuses the 2024 National Essay Competition on fostering intellectual growth and promoting reading culture among secondary school students. This competition, now in its 14th year, continues to attract increased participation from students across Nigeria. They can submit essays through a digital submission portal from their homes or schools.
This year’s essay topic is “Discuss the Impact of Carbon Emission on Climate in Nigeria: Challenges and Solutions,” highlighting global concerns. Participants are expected to research the topic, write by hand, and upload their submissions to the portal www.ubagroup.com/uba-foundation/national-essay-competition by November 8, 2024. This inclusive approach ensures wider access to the competition, encouraging more students to engage in critical thinking and writing.
The competition judges will carefully evaluate the top 75 essays and then reward each with a cash prize of N75,000. After this, regional competitions will follow in Abuja, Enugu, Lagos, and Port Harcourt, further narrowing down the finalists. Finally, the competition will award increased educational grants to the top three winners, with N7.5 million for the first-place winner. UBA Foundation has raised the grant prizes significantly to accommodate the rising costs of education.
“We are aware of what families and parents are going through,” said Bola Atta, CEO of UBA Foundation. “The increase in grant prizes reflects our commitment to ensuring that exceptional students can pursue their academic dreams.” In addition to cash awards, the 20 finalists will receive laptops and other educational tools, with further rewards for schools with the highest entries.
This 2024 National Essay Competition, alongside other UBA Foundation initiatives like the ‘Read Africa’ program, reinforces the organization’s dedication to education across the continent. “Through NEC and ‘Read Africa,’ we are promoting literacy while investing in Africa’s intellectual future,” Atta emphasized.