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The Nigerian Army is organising the third edition of the COAS Literary Competitions 2026 with the theme “The NA: The People’s Army, Our Army.” The competition is open to applicants in primary and secondary schools, as well as undergraduates in Nigeria. The submission window runs from Monday, 11 August 2025, to Tuesday, 31 March 2026.
The competition is designed to encourage creativity, critical thinking, and artistic expression among young Nigerians. It also provides an opportunity for participants to reflect on the role of the Nigerian Army as a people-focused institution.
There are three main categories in the COAS Literary Competitions: COAS Essay Competition, COAS Art Competition, and COAS Poetry Competition. These categories are open to applicants aged 5–11 years (primary school), 12–17 years (secondary school), and all ages for undergraduate students.
For the COAS Essay Competition, topics must be coined from the theme, “The NA: The People’s Army, Our Army.” Essays submitted by primary and secondary school students must not exceed 2,000 words. Essays from tertiary institution students must be between 3,000 and 5,000 words. All essays must reflect the original thoughts of the writer.
For the COAS Art Competition, artworks must relate clearly to the theme. Only paintings and drawings are accepted. Each artwork must be accompanied by a short caption. Submissions must be original and must not have been previously published. Entries are to be photographed or scanned and uploaded on or before 31 March 2026.
For the COAS Poetry Competition, all poems must be original and written in English. Poems may belong to any genre but must relate to the competition theme. Each poem must not exceed 200 words.
Winners in all three categories will receive certificates and cash prizes. In the primary school category (ages 5–11), first prize is N500,000, second prize is N250,000, and third prize is N100,000. In the secondary school category (ages 12–17), first prize is N700,000, second prize is N350,000, and third prize is N150,000. For undergraduates, first prize is N1,000,000, second prize is N500,000, and third prize is N250,000. These prize amounts apply to the Essay, Art, and Poetry competitions.
The closing date for submission of entries is Tuesday, 31 March 2026. Cash prizes and certificates will be presented to winners at a specially organised event. All winners will be informed of the date and venue for the presentation ceremony.
Applicants must complete the application forms online. The forms must then be printed, duly endorsed and stamped by the Head of School, scanned, and uploaded. There will be two levels of assessment. The first stage involves shortlisting successful candidates. The second stage will be a virtual interaction with a panel of assessors before the final selection of winners.
At any stage of the screening process, any entry found not to be original will be disqualified from the competition. All submitted entries may be published in NA journals and periodicals.
