National Life Science Competition 2021 For Nigerian Students

The National Life Science Competition is aimed at inspiring all Nigerian secondary school and tertiary institution students to develop interests in life science courses or solving life science-related societal challenges.

National Life Science Competition Categories

• Tertiary Institution Category: For students in Colleges, Polytechnics and Universities studying any subject.
• Secondary School category: Open to all Nigerian secondary school students

National Life Science Competition Prizes

For each category:

• 1st position — ₦100, 000 
• 2nd position — ₦75, 000 
• 3rd position — ₦50, 000 

Special Prizes 

• The Professor Isa Hussaini Marte Young Life Scientist Award — ₦100, 000
• The Professor Omowunmi Agboola Sadik Prize in Innovation — ₦100, 000
• The Professor Abba Zubair Prize in Multidisciplinary Innovation — ₦100, 000
• The Professor Christian Happi Excellence in Genomics Award — ₦50, 000
• People’s Choice Award (Sponsored by University of Sussex West African Office ) — ₦100, 000
• The NABDA/OFAB Nigeria Excellence in Biotechnology Award — ₦50, 000

Additional Prizes 

• Best Student from the Northeast (Sponsored by the Office of Chief of Staff of Borno State Governor) — ₦100, 000
• Yobe SEMA Prize for The Best Student From Conflict-affected Communities of Yobe State — ₦150, 000
• Yobe State Scholarship Board Prize for The Best Tertiary Institution Student from Yobe State — ₦50, 000
• Yobe SEMA Prize for The Best Student Living with Disabilities from Yobe — ₦50, 000
• Alhaji Bukar Maina Prize for The Best Student from Zone C Yobe State — ₦50, 000

Additional Benefits

• Finalists and winners will receive certificates of commendation.
• Finalists and winners will be paired with experts for long term mentorship. 
• Winners will receive training organised by Sprint for Social Good (SfSG) on ‘creativity and innovation’. They will be guided to apply skills learnt to develop their ideas and potential to be the future scientists of Africa and shape socio-economic development.

National Life Science Competition Timelines

Phase 1 (29th March – 30th April 2021) 

• Pre-qualification test: Please CLICK HERE to start the test. Participants with the highest score will be contacted with instructions on the next phase of the competition.

Phase 2 (10th May – 7th June 2021) 

• Submission of Essays: Qualified participants will be required to submit a 400 – 500 words essay on the role of societies and communities in tackling pandemics. Depending on the discipline or area of interest of a participant, we want to see essays that put clear thoughts on: What can I do as an individual? Historian? Scientist? Medical practitioner? Engineer? Lawyer? IT Professional? Businessman? Government official? Entrepreneur? Innovator? Etc. We believe that all disciplines have their unique ways of tackling pandemics. 

Phase 3 (3rd – 4th July 2021) 

• Life science pitch to be held online, followed by the selection of winners and award ceremony

How to Participate in National Life Science Competition

• You will need to register with your Name, Email, School, Present level of study and state of Origin. Note: All detail you provide shall be verified. Giving false information will lead to automatic disqualification. The personal data collected will only be used for the competition.
• You can only take the quiz/test once. Duplicate submissions will be disqualified automatically.
• The test duration is 30 minutes. Endeavour to submit within the stipulated time.
• You are advised to ensure that the quality of your Internet is good to avoid disruption.

Start Test Official Link (https://www.scicomnigeria.org/nls-competition)