SADC Tertiary Institution Essay Competition for 2026
We are pleased to present to you the 2026 Southern African Development Community, SADC Tertiary Institution Essay Competition as well as how to apply. It involves the SADC competition eligibility, requirements, and prizes involved.
The topic of the 2026 SADC Tertiary Institution Essay Competition is: “How can SADC achieve industrialisation, transform agriculture, and energy transition for a resilient future?”
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) launched the 2026 SADC Tertiary Institution Essay Competition on November 13, 2025, open to all active tertiary institution-going students across the SADC region. This is an exciting opportunity for students to showcase their writing skills and win a scholarship.
The competition is open to all students currently enrolled in and attending tertiary institutions across the SADC region. Prospective students who have not yet commenced their studies and graduates who completed their degrees before the competition launch are not eligible.
To participate in this competition, applicants must submit their essays before the deadline of February 28, 2026. The essays will be judged by a panel of experts based on creativity, originality, content accuracy, and relevance to the topic.
This is an excellent chance for students to demonstrate their knowledge of the SADC region and its development, as well as hone their writing skills.
Read Also: 12th ARSO Continental Essay Competition
SADC TERTIARY INSTITUTION ESSAY COMPETITION PRIZES, REQUIREMENTS & ELIGIBILITY
Degree level
- Taught Masters
- Doctoral
- Postdoctoral Studies or
- Research
Candidate Requirements
The essay should be:
- 4000 words;
- typed and submitted in both hard copies and electronic in Microsoft Word document format;
- written in one of the SADC working languages, i.e. English, Portuguese and/or French;
- accompanied by an SADC Tertiary Institution Essay Competition Entry Form; and
Note: Entrants should sign and initial each page of the hard copy document to make sure that they have not been altered.
Marking Guidelines:
The 2026 theme — “How can SADC achieve industrialisation, transform agriculture, and energy transition for a resilient future?” — requires entrants to address three interconnected pillars in their essays:
- Industrialisation — Proposals on how SADC can move beyond raw material exports and develop value-added manufacturing sectors, including strategies around Special Economic Zones, regional supply chains, skills development, and investment policies.
- Agricultural Transformation — A vision for a productive, sustainable, and climate-resilient agricultural sector, covering smallholder farming, post-harvest infrastructure, agro-processing, climate-smart practices, and food security.
- Energy Transition — Strategies for shifting the region’s energy mix towards cleaner sources, expanding renewable energy capacity, developing regional electricity grids, investing in energy efficiency, and managing the transition away from fossil fuels.
Essays will be evaluated on content and argumentation, structure and coherence, language proficiency, and relevance and impact. Official marking guidelines are available from the SADC Secretariat and the DHET International Scholarships portal for English and Portuguese submissions.
Competition rules and guidelines
- The competition is open to all active tertiary institution-going learners from all SADC Member States;
- The entrants’ work should not have been published/broadcast by a registered and/or authorized broadcast company, newspaper, blogs, radio station, television station or agency or carried on an online platform of a registered and/or authorized agency in any of the SADC Member States;
- This competition is open to all registered tertiary institution learners with a valid student ID, and only one submission will be accepted per writer;
- All essays entering the competition should be in one of the SADC working languages, i.e. English, Portuguese and/or French. However, the writer can use some inserts in any national indigenous language of the SADC Region, but must provide a translation in the glossary;
- The tone/composition of the essay must be reflective of the SADC region and relate to the people and culture of inhabitants of the region;
- Entries from lecturers/tutors and employees of tertiary institutions will not be accepted and shall not be entered for adjudication.
The winning entry will receive a once-off prize money that will cover the outright payment of the Intellectual Property Rights of the essay.
The winners at regional level will be awarded as follows:
- 1st prize will receive prize money of USD2,000;
- 2nd Prize is USD1,500;
- 3rd Prize will be USD1,000; and
- the top 10 winners will receive certificates signed by the Chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security.
HOW TO APPLY FOR THE SADC TERTIARY INSTITUTION ESSAY COMPETITION
Submissions are not made directly to the SADC Secretariat. Each SADC member state has a designated national coordinator — typically the Ministry of Education — responsible for collecting entries and forwarding the top three essays from their country to the SADC Secretariat for regional adjudication.
Applicants from South Africa must submit their applications through the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) International Scholarships Portal. South African applicants are also required to complete a DHET-specific entry form that includes full contact details and a passport-sized photograph. Submit to: Internationalscholarships@dhet.gov.za
Applicants from other SADC member states should contact their national Ministry of Education or equivalent department directly to obtain the full list of country-specific submission requirements and the correct submission channel.
Application Deadline
- Applications should be submitted by 28th February 2026. Applicants are strongly advised to verify this deadline directly with the SADC Secretariat at www.sadc.int or with their national coordinator, as an earlier internal cutoff may apply at the national level.
- The regional adjudication is expected to take place in March/April 2026, based on the pattern of previous competitions (April 22–26, 2024 and March 24–28, 2025).
- The announcement of winners will be made through the SADC website (www.sadc.int) and its official social media channels. The award ceremony is typically linked to the annual SADC Summit, which usually takes place in August.
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