Augustine Udefa Speaking Scholarship 2026 for Africans

The Augustine Udefa Speaking Scholarship supports students in African higher education who show strong public speaking skills, clear thinking, and good character.

It is open to students in any field of study and is linked to a speaking competition run by the Augustine Udefa Foundation. The award covers school fees and gives a one-time cash support to the top speaker.

What is the scholarship about?

This scholarship is set up to help bright students who can think on their feet and speak with clarity. It backs students who may struggle to pay fees but are ready to use their voice for good ideas and sound values.

Winners are chosen through rounds of speaking contests. Judges and members of the public listen to each speaker and score their work. A student who wins the top spot receives full school fees for the full length of their programme and a cash prize. Students who place second and third also gain fee support and cash, as set out below.

Who can apply for the Augustine Udefa Speaking Scholarship?

To be considered, an applicant needs to meet these conditions:

• Be a student at a public university, polytechnic, monotechnic, or college of education in any African country.
• Be in first or second year of study. A student at third or fourth year level may be considered if they can show clear financial hardship.
• Be of good moral conduct.
• Send all required application documents through the online application portal. These include a curriculum vitae (CV), admission letter, and an attestation letter from the Head of Department (HOD) on official letterhead that confirms good conduct.

Scholarship value and awards

The scholarship covers school fees and also gives cash prizes. The structure is as follows:

• Winner: Full school fee support for the full period of the programme, plus a cash prize of ₦100,000.
• Second position: Full school fee support for one academic session, plus a cash prize of ₦50,000.
• Third position: Full school fee support for one academic session.

Renewal of the scholarship

The top winner may receive the scholarship again each academic session. Renewal depends on meeting these rules:

• Keep a minimum cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 3.5 on a 5.0 scale, or 2.5 on a 4.0 scale.
• Provide a letter from the HOD that states the current CGPA and confirms that the student is on track to finish the programme on time.
• Provide two attestation letters from two academic referees who can speak about the student’s good moral conduct.

When the scholarship can end

A holder of the scholarship is expected to act as a good ambassador of their school and to show strong moral values at all times. The scholarship will stop in any of these cases:

• The student does not meet the minimum CGPA requirement for renewal.
• The student is rusticated from the school because of misconduct of any form.
• The student is seen to make or share social media posts that promote nudity or sexual immorality.

How to apply

An applicant should complete the online form on the Augustine Udefa Foundation speaking scholarship application page.

During the application, the student will upload the required documents:

• Cover letter
• Curriculum vitae (CV)
• Admission letter
• Attestation letter from the HOD

All documents must be clear and readable.

Speaking competition and timeline

The speaking competition for this scholarship starts in January 2026. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to take part in this contest.

Each speaker will record a clear and audible video of not more than three minutes, where they present their points on a given topic. The video will be sent to the Augustine Udefa Foundation through a dedicated email address that will be shared with the selected speakers.

The contest will run on social media channels set up for this purpose:

• Y’tino Intellectual Discourse Facebook page
• ytino2025 Instagram account
• Y’tino Intellectual Discourse TikTok account
• Augustine Udefa Foundation YouTube channel

Members of the public will be able to watch each video online and support their preferred speakers through votes.

Stages of the speaking competition

The contest has three main stages. Points are given at each stage, and the total points decide who goes forward.

Stage 1: Group stage

• Speakers are split into groups.
• Every speaker within each group competes one-on-one with other speakers in that group.
• A win in any match gives the speaker three points.
• At the end of this stage, the speaker with the highest points in each group moves on to the next stage.

Stage 2: Semi-final stage

• All group winners from Stage 1 compete against one another.
• After this round, the two speakers with the highest total points move to the final stage.
• The speaker with the third highest total points takes the third position for the scholarship ranking.

Stage 3: Final stage

• The two finalists compete for the top award.
• The winner receives the Augustine Udefa Speaking Scholarship with full school fee support for the full duration of their programme and a cash prize of ₦100,000.
• The second finalist receives school fee support for one academic session and a cash prize of ₦50,000.
• The person in third position receives school fee support for one academic session.

Voting and scoring

Every speaker is judged through a mix of expert scoring and public votes.

• An independent panel of judges listens to each presentation and scores it out of 70 per cent, based on set scoring rules.
• Public votes count for 30 per cent of the total score.
• The final score for each speaker is the sum of the judge’s score and the public vote score.