The Federal Government has introduced the 2026 Tertiary Institutions National Laureate Programme, offering a prize fund of ₦365 million to celebrate superior student research. Education Minister Dr. Tunji Alausa is supporting this effort, which aims to honor exceptional work from undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral candidates across universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, and military schools.
National Laureate Committee Chairman, Emeritus Prof. Abubakar Sambo, confirmed the program’s launch in a recent communication to heads of tertiary institutions. To facilitate the competition, schools must form Institutional Laureate Selection Committees consisting of senior faculty members. These panels will oversee the initial screening, with each institution permitted to submit up to 18 entries across various academic levels.
Submissions must cover specific sectors such as Agriculture, Engineering, Health, and Law. The prize structure includes top awards of ₦35 million for undergraduates, ₦50 million for master’s students, and ₦100 million for doctoral researchers, alongside 15 thematic awards worth ₦12 million each. Candidates are required to register their work on the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank to ensure authenticity.
The evaluation process will occur in three phases: institutional, regional, and national. Interested institutions must submit committee member details by August 15, 2026, while final research entries are due by August 31, 2026. Prof. Sambo stated that this initiative serves as a major investment in academic growth and aims to foster innovation that could benefit the nation’s industries.
