This year, the Nigeria Higher Education Foundation (NHEF) is inserting itself in relevant conversations going on in Nigeria, and globally. Through the 3rd edition of the Annual Essay Competition, the NHEF is giving the Nigerian youth a voice and a platform to participate in these socially-relevant debates.

After much consideration, the NHEF is pleased to announce the following topics guaranteed to spur critical thinking and awakening in the participants. Our topics are themed around Gender, The Nigerian Economy, and Information Privacy:

• “There is a problem with gender as it is today and we must do something to fix it.” Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
• “The Nigerian economy is achieving projected diversification for growth and development.” Discuss
• “The proliferation of online platforms is in constant tension with the right to privacy: one must give way for the other to thrive.”

Eligibility Requirements

All students enrolled in their penultimate year at any NHEF Partner University are qualified to participate in the essay contest.

* NHEF Partner Universities include Ahmadu Bello University, Bayero University, University of Ibadan, University of Nigeria, Nsukka and the University of Port Harcourt.

Essay Criteria & Submission Procedure

All essays must comply with the following contest rules before submission:

• No literary form other than an essay will be accepted.
• Each piece of writing must reflect the contestant’s ability to explore and discuss ideas and ethical concepts.
• Essay must demonstrate the conduct of research and a sufficiently detailed summary.
• Essays must be 2000 words in length, double-spaced, (12pt Times New Roman), and numbered pages with one-inch margins excluding bibliography & title page.
• Each essay must include a Title Page, a Bibliography and a scanned copy of the contestant’s current student ID. The student’s registration ID# must appear at the header section of each page.
• Entries must be submitted in Microsoft Word or PDF format.
• References in the essay should be included and clearly identified.
• All entries must be submitted via e-mail to essay@thenhef.org by 11:59 p.m. (WAT) on May 15th , 2017.
Students are encouraged to study rules on how to avoid plagiarism as the essays will be checked for intellectual authenticity. This link contains a helpful guide.

Contest Prizes

Grand prize winner of the 2017 Essay Competition will be awarded a cash prize of N100,000 with a year of paid tuition. First runner-up will be awarded a cash prize of N75,000 with a year of paid tuition. Second runner-up will be awarded N50,000 with a year of paid tuition.

Note: Enrollment will be verified with the University’s registrar.

Disclaimer: Submitted essays will become the property of the NHEF. The NHEF may reprint the essays in its mediums and publications. Appropriate citations will be given to all the writers.

*Students enrolled in their penultimate year are third year undergraduates of a 4-year degree program or Fourth year undergraduates of a 5-year degree program. NHEF will verify enrollment of each contestant with the University Registrar.