Interswitch has commenced the fifth edition of the InterswitchSPARK National Competition on October 29, 2023. In this year’s edition, N12.5 million will be given to the top 3 contestants.
A total of 81 students are competing for the crown of the best Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) students in Nigeria.
According to the company, the first prize winner will receive a whooping sum of N7.5 million worth of scholarships for five years, a laptop, and monthly stipends. The second-place winner will receive N4 million in scholarships for three years, a laptop, and monthly stipends, while the third-place winner will, get N1 million in scholarships for one year, monthly stipends, and a laptop.
Interswitch said it will reward more winners, with the 4th to 24th contestants receiving cash prizes of up to N250,000, to commemorate the fifth edition of the competition, stating that the previous editions of the competition only saw the top three contestants go home with financial rewards, however, this fifth season will feature an expanded winning pool.
The company also said that not only will the students be recipients of these exciting cash prizes, but their teachers, being the linchpins of institutional learning, will also be rewarded for their remarkable contributions.
InterswitchSPAK 5.0, will air every Sunday on DSTV Africa Magic Family Channel 154 every Sunday at 6:00 p.m. With a repeat programme on Wednesdays at 3:30 pm on the same channel. The show will also be aired on AIT Network every Sunday at 7:30 p.m.
For this year’s edition, the organisers said they received entries from over 17,000 secondary-school-age students between the ages of 14 and 17 from public and private secondary schools across Nigeria who put in their applications for participation. Following the national qualifying examinations, the top 81 participants will be thrilling the audience in the competition as they bid for their share of the grand sum of N12.5 million which will be shared among the top 3 contestants.
InterswitchSPAK’s focus on STEM rises from the recognition of these subjects as the cornerstone of innovation, development, and progress, not only in Africa but across the globe. Interswitch is contributing to the development of future leaders and problem-solvers who will shape the African continent and the world through their STEM prowess.
