The essay topic is based on the official Carnival theme, and all essays are written under examination conditions across six centres in the State.
By Staff Reporter
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Published on September 29, 2026
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2 min read
The Carnival Calabar Essay Competition is a flagship capacity-building initiative of the Carnival Calabar. It was established to revive the culture of reading, writing and scholarship among young people, which is increasingly threatened by illicit drugs, cultism, and unregulated exposure to movies, music videos and computer games.
The essay topic is based on the official Carnival theme, and all essays are written under examination conditions across six centres in the State to ensure fairness. Scripts are independently assessed by experts from the Department of Theatre and Media Studies, University of Calabar, ensuring complete transparency and non-interference from the Carnival Commission.
Our objective is to develop the writing skills of our youth and bring to the fore potential literary geniuses who may become the Wole Soyinka, James Ene Henshaw or Chimamanda Adichie of tomorrow.
The competition was re-introduced by His Excellency, Senator Bassey Edet Otu, Executive Governor of Cross River State, three years ago. Since its return, we have recorded a massive turnout of entries from Secondary and Tertiary institutions across the State. Building on this momentum, we anticipate an even greater leap in the number of participating schools and students this year.
