The Nigerian Army has opened entries for the 2027 edition of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Literary Competitions, offering cash prizes of up to ₦2 million to winners in its essay, art and poetry categories.
The competition, which opened on November 1, 2026, is open to Nigerian children and youths aged between five and 24 years in primary schools, secondary schools and tertiary institutions. Entries will close on May 31, 2027.
The fourth edition is themed “Building Mutual Trust Between the Nigerian Army and the Citizens as a Foundation for National Security,” reflecting the military’s efforts to strengthen public confidence and civil-military relations.
The essay, art and poetry competitions are designed to encourage creativity and original contributions from young Nigerians. Essay topics will be developed from the central theme, while submitted artworks must relate to the theme and consist of original paintings or drawings. Poems must also be original, written in English and limited to 200 words.
For the essay category, primary and secondary school entries must not exceed 2,000 words, while submissions from tertiary institution students must be between 3,000 and 5,000 words. All entries must be uploaded to the Army’s Directorate of Civil-Military Affairs website, dcma.army.mil.ng, no later than May 31, 2027.
In the prize category, primary school winners will receive ₦1 million, ₦750,000 and ₦500,000 for first, second and third places, respectively. Secondary school winners will receive ₦1.5 million, ₦1.2 million and ₦750,000, while tertiary institution winners will get ₦2 million, ₦1.5 million and ₦1 million, respectively.
