The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has launched its 2026 National Essay Competition, offering a total prize pool of ₦3 million to be shared among nine winners across three categories.
The agency said the initiative is aimed at promoting awareness and participation in disaster risk reduction, climate resilience, and emergency response strategies among young Nigerians.
In a post shared via X on Sunday, NEMA stated that the competition is open to secondary school students nationwide, undergraduates in tertiary institutions, and members of the National Youth Service Corps Emergency Management Volunteers.
Participants are required to submit original essays based on specific themes assigned to each category.
For secondary school students, the topic is “My Role in Disaster Risk Reduction,” with a maximum of 500 words. Undergraduate students are to write on “Climate Change and Disaster Management in Nigeria,” with a word limit of 1,000, while NYSC Emergency Management Volunteers will address “Technology for Disaster Response: Opportunities and Challenges,” also within 1,000 words.
Entries must be submitted via email to nemaessay@nema.gov.ng on or before April 15, 2026.
NEMA announced that winners in each category will receive ₦500,000 for first place, ₦300,000 for first runner-up, and ₦200,000 for second runner-up, bringing the total to ₦1 million per category and ₦3 million overall.
“Essays should be submitted as a Word document using Times New Roman, font size 12. Entries must include the full name of the contestant, category, and details of their school or NYSC deployment,” the agency stated.
It added that submissions will be evaluated based on relevance to the topic, originality, and clarity of presentation.
