The future prosperity of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region lies in the hands of young people. The SADC Council of Ministers, during its meeting in August 2020, directed the SADC Secretariat to operationalise the initiative to recognise and honour the Founders of SADC. The initiative, as approved by the SADC Council, is aimed at providing due recognition to the Founders of SADC for their contribution to the establishment of SADC and their subsequent pursuance of a regional integration agenda.
The SADC Tertiary Institution Essay Competition is open to all active tertiary institution-going students in the SADC Member States. This competition aims to raise awareness among the students to research and articulate issues to support the process of SADC regional cooperation, integration and socio-economic development.
The topic for the 2026 SADC Tertiary Institution Essay Competition is; “Compare and contrast the challenges faced by the SADC founders in the 20th century against the current challenges. Which lesson(s) from the SADC Founders would you advise or adapt to address today’s regional dilemma(s)?”
Learners are required to submit their essays to their Ministries responsible for Education through their School head teachers. The Ministry responsible for Education selects the best three essay winners at national level to compete at regional level.
Upon receipt of the three national winners from Member States, the SADC Secretariat invites three education experts from different SADC Member States on a rotational basis to adjudicate or mark the essays to select the three winning essays out of all the essays submitted from Member States.
The top three regional winners receive prizes as follows; The First Regional Winner gets a prize of US$2,000, the Second Winner gets US$1,500, and the Third Winner gets US$1,000 and Certificates.
The SADC Secretariat is encouraging learners in the SADC Member States to enter the SADC Annual Tertiary Institution Essay Competition. Parents, teachers and school authorities should encourage learners to be part of this regional competition so that the learners start to actively take part in the process of regional cooperation, integration and socio-economic development.
The deadline for submission of entries to Ministries of Education in respective SADC Member States is 31stJanuary 2026. The deadline for submission of entries to the SADC Secretariat by Ministries of Education, through their respective National Contact Points, is 28th February 2026.
The docket with full information for the competition is attached below in three (3) SADC working languages.
