Abuja: The National Laureate Committee has approved an extension of the deadline for submitting institutional entries for the 2026 National Laureate Programme, moving it from Aug. 31 to Sept. 15. This decision came in response to requests from several tertiary institutions seeking additional time to finalize their internal selection processes and submit their approved entries for the inaugural edition of the programme.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, this development was disclosed in a statement by Ita Ekpenyong, the committee’s spokesperson, who highlighted that the extension aims to assist participating universities, polytechnics, monotechnics, colleges of education, military institutions, and other eligible tertiary institutions in completing their respective processes. This aligns with the efforts of the Institutional Laureate Selection Committees to ensure the submission of their approved research entries by the new deadline.
The National Laureate Programme, which supports the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu, was inaugurated under the leadership of the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa. It aims to redefine the reward structure for academic research and innovation, serving as a national platform for identifying, evaluating, celebrating, and rewarding exceptional undergraduate dissertations, master’s theses, and doctoral research from accredited Nigerian tertiary institutions.
Supported by an annual research prize fund of N365 million, the programme allows each eligible institution to submit up to 18 outstanding research works, including six undergraduate dissertations, six master’s theses, and six doctoral theses, or their recognized equivalents in polytechnics, monotechnics, colleges of education, and other eligible institutions. All approved institutional entries must now be submitted by Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026, through the approved submission channels of the programme.
The committee expressed gratitude for the continued cooperation of Nigeria’s tertiary institutions and emphasized its commitment to providing a credible and prestigious platform for recognizing outstanding scholarship, promoting research excellence, and strengthening Nigeria’s knowledge and innovation ecosystem. Ekpenyong also mentioned that more information, including detailed guidelines, committee manuals, and application procedures, is available through the official National Laureate Programme channels.