The Federal Government has opened applications for the National Laureate Prize, a new annual programme designed to recognise outstanding academic research, innovation and intellectual excellence among students and researchers in Nigerian tertiary institutions.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, announced the commencement of applications, revealing that the programme has a total prize pool of ₦365 million.
According to the minister, the initiative is aimed at promoting academic excellence, strengthening research and innovation, and giving exceptional scholarly work greater national recognition.
Who Can Apply?
The competition is open to eligible students and researchers from accredited:
- Universities
- Polytechnics
- Monotechnics
- Colleges of Education
- Other recognised tertiary institutions
Entries will be considered across three academic levels:
- Undergraduate
- Master’s
- Doctoral
Eligible submissions include undergraduate dissertations or equivalent research projects, master’s theses, doctoral theses and comparable research works from other eligible tertiary institutions.
Six Research Categories
Applications will be assessed across six thematic areas:
- Science, Engineering and Technology
- Medicine and Health Sciences
- Arts and Social Sciences
- Agriculture
- Law
- Teaching Innovation
Three national thematic laureates will be selected in each category across the three academic levels, producing 18 laureates in total.
₦365m Prize Structure
The Federal Government has allocated the prize money as follows:
- Undergraduate Star Prize — ₦35 million
- Master’s Star Prize — ₦50 million
- Doctoral Star Prize — ₦100 million
- 15 Thematic Excellence Prizes — ₦12 million each
The 15 thematic prizes amount to ₦180 million, bringing the total prize pool to ₦365 million.
Important Requirement for Applicants
The Ministry of Education said all submitted works must meet established standards for originality and research integrity.
A key requirement is that each nominated research work must first be deposited on the National Research and Development Portal (NERD) and assigned a valid national document number before it can qualify for consideration.
Applicants are therefore expected to ensure that their research meets the required academic and documentation standards before submission.
How to Apply
Interested students and researchers can apply through the official National Laureate Prize portal and follow the prescribed application guidelines.
National Laureate Prize Application Portal
The Federal Government said the programme is intended to strengthen Nigeria’s culture of research and innovation while providing outstanding academic work with national visibility and recognition.
For students, researchers and young academics with exceptional research projects, the ₦365 million National Laureate Prize represents a significant opportunity to showcase their work and compete for national recognition.
