Zenith Future Innovators Deadline Now October 13 — Student Challenge Is Part of ₦190m Zecathon 6.0

Zenith Bank’s Future Innovators Challenge for Nigerian senior secondary schools now has an October 13, 2026 application deadline, according to the live Zecathon 6.0 programme page, replacing the October 7 date previously carried in this report.

The Zenith Future Innovators Challenge is the school-focused arm of Zecathon 6.0, Zenith Bank’s wider innovation programme being delivered with Beyond Limits. The full programme now carries ₦190 million in cash prizes across three tracks: the Future Innovators Challenge, a Hackathon and a Startup Pitch Competition.

For secondary schools, the prize pool remains ₦10 million. The winning school receives ₦5 million, second place receives ₦3 million and third place receives ₦2 million.

Current programme rules describe the student challenge as open to Nigerian senior secondary students in SS1, SS2 and SS3, working in teams of two to four students from the same school. A teacher or designated school representative serves as the school contact.

Teams are expected to propose practical solutions around priority areas including financial inclusion, education, healthcare, agriculture, and climate or environmental sustainability. The competition is intended to test problem-solving and innovation rather than simply reward a written essay.

The live official schedule at beyondlimits.global/zecathonfutureinnovatorschallenge now runs from applications closing on October 13 to a virtual innovation showcase for shortlisted teams on October 16, followed by a three-day virtual bootcamp from October 19 to 21 and a final virtual innovation showcase on October 26.

The ₦190 million headline figure should not be confused with the amount available to secondary schools. The other ₦180 million belongs to the two adult/startup tracks. The Hackathon has a ₦90 million prize pool, while the Startup Pitch Competition also carries ₦90 million; the school challenge accounts for the remaining ₦10 million.

Zenith Bank Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Adaora Umeoji said the expanded sixth edition is intended to bring developers, founders and students into the same innovation ecosystem. Zecathon 5.0 awarded ₦140 million, making the 2026 pool the programme’s largest so far.

Applications for the student track are free. Schools that were working toward the earlier October 7 date now have additional time, but the current official deadline is October 13 and teams should use the live Zecathon portal rather than an old flyer or cached deadline.