Beyond School Community Challenge for Secondary School Students in Nigeria (N1.5M Prize)

Application for the 2026 Beyond School Community Challenge is ongoing!

The Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumni announces the call for applications for The Beyond School Community Challenge for Secondary School Students in Nigeria.

Sponsored by the US Mission in Nigeria, the 5th edition of the BSCC provides a platform for
outstanding secondary school students aged 13-18 to provide solutions to problems around
by creating community development projects. Guided by mentors and their schools,
the students identify the challenge, proffer a viable entrepreneurial concept to address the
challenge.

To apply successfully, kindly read through this piece to learn the full details about this award- the eligibility criteria, requirements, application deadline, and more. The table below will give you an overview of what you should expect.

The Challenge identifies top finalists annually from the pool of applications received across
Nigeria, where finalists consisting of 3 students and a teacher/mentor per team, are invited
to pitch and exhibit their entrepreneurial ideas. The #BSCChallenge2026 will be virtual for
participating schools.

Worth Of The Award

Cash grant prize of N1.5M will be shared amongst the winners as follows:

• Top 3 Winning Project Grant (N400k, N350k & N250k)
• All 30 Students (N300k @ N10k each)
• Best Teacher Award- N100k
• Other 2 teachers – N50k each amongst other benefits.

Beyond School Community Challenge- Eligibility Criteria

For the 5th edition of the BSCChallenge, applications shall revolve around novel ideas that
have not been tested anywhere to provide solutions that have not been implemented in
any of the under-listed areas. Each team of students will be required to think innovatively
and submit a realistic idea(s) that can solve some of Nigeria’s current challenges within the
threshold of the grant funding.

Focus Areas As Follows:

• Social Insecurity (Kidnappings, Banditry, Terrorism)
• Food Insecurity (Occasioned by incessant farmers and herders clashes and climate change)
• Youth & Skills Development (Skill gap and unemployment in a youth dominated nation)
• Access to quality Education (Occasioned by social insecurity and Covid-19 pandemic)

How to Apply for Beyond School Community Challenge

• There shall be coordinated live interview sessions for every team shortlisted for the challenge to ascertain the authenticity of every application.

Click on the BUTTON below to apply.

Application Deadline

The deadline for this award entry submission closes at 11:59 p.m on September 20th, 2027.

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