Policy Challenge 2026 for Nigerian Undergraduates: Eligibility, Prizes and Deadline

Policy Challenge 2026 is a policy proposal competition for undergraduate students in Nigerian tertiary institutions. Teams are expected to submit practical, research-based ideas on institutional reforms that can improve legitimacy, effectiveness and inclusive governance in Nigeria.

2026 theme

The official theme is: Rebuilding Trust in the Nigerian State: Institutional Reforms for Legitimacy, Effectiveness and Inclusive Governance.

Who can apply

• Undergraduate students enrolled full-time or part-time in a Nigerian tertiary institution during the 2025/2026 academic year.
• Applicants must be at least 18 years old by August 2026.
• Teams must have 2 to 4 members.
• All team members must be from the same tertiary institution.
• Finalist teams must be available for the Policy Conference in Abuja on 12 August 2026 if selected.

Deadline and format

• Submission deadline: 29 May 2026 at 11:59 PM CST, as stated by the organisers.
• Accepted formats: PDF or DOCX.
• Proposal length: 2,000 to 4,000 words, excluding references.

What the proposal should include

• Abstract of 250 to 350 words.
• Policy background and problem statement.
• Two or more policy options.
• Recommended action with justification.
• Evidence, data and bibliography.

Prizes

• 1st place: N2,000,000 plus a 3-month paid internship.
• 2nd place: N1,000,000.
• 3rd place: N750,000.
• Top 10 finalists will have their proposals published in the 2026 Policy Challenge Compendium.

Key dates

• Applications opened: 3 April 2026.
• Submission closes: 29 May 2026.
• State finalist selection notification deadline: 12 June 2026.
• State qualifiers confirmation deadline: 19 June 2026.
• Top three finalist notifications: 6 to 24 July 2026.
• Policy Conference and award ceremony: 12 August 2026.

How to apply

1. Read the official Policy Challenge rulebook carefully.
2. Choose a unique team name and agree on team members.
3. The team leader should register the team and submit the proposal through the official form.
4. Watch for the confirmation email after submission.

Official links

• Policy Challenge 2026 official website
• Policy Challenge 2026 application form
• Policy Challenge 2026 rulebook

This guide was reviewed against the official Policy Challenge website on 29 April 2026.