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Applications are now open for the 2025 WIPO National Intellectual Property Essay Competition. Click here to learn more about this opportunity and apply for it.
Opportunity Details
Every year on April 26, we celebrate World Intellectual Property (IP) Day to learn more about the role that IP rights play in encouraging innovation, creativity, and economic and cultural development across the world. This year’s celebration is themed “IP and music: Feel the beat of IP”, shining the spotlight on the music industry and the critical ways IP empowers and supports the creatives, artists, innovators, and musicians that bring the industry to life.
Music is one of the most powerful forms of creative expression, capable of inspiring, uniting, and moving people across borders and generations. However, behind every beat, melody, and lyrics are IP rights which play an essential role in protecting the creators and ensuring that they earn a living, while incentivizing their artistic endeavour. This year’s campaign invites the world to explore how IP fosters a thriving music industry by empowering artists, encouraging investment in new talent, enabling collaborations, and allowing the global sharing of diverse musical cultures.
Nigeria’s booming music industry has become a dominant source of national identity and global influence. As Afrobeats and other Nigerian sounds increasingly capture the world’s attention, it becomes necessary to explore how innovation and effective IP protection can sustain this momentum and unlock greater economic value. From improved copyright enforcement to equitable royalty systems, from tech-driven music production and distribution to cross-border licensing opportunities, Nigerian artists and other stakeholders must navigate new frontiers for economic growth, with IP at the fore, both as a shield and a springboard.
The essay competition topic, “IP and Music: Harnessing Nigeria’s Music Industry for Economic Growth”, therefore, invites students to critically reflect on how the creativity of the various players in Nigeria’s music industry, combined with strong IP frameworks, can contribute significantly to the nation’s economy. It also challenges students to reflect on the obstacles, including the impact of emerging technologies, and propose forward-looking solutions that support sustainable growth in the industry and the larger economy.
Participation in this competition will provide students with an excellent opportunity to research and deepen their understanding of the role of IP in driving innovation within the music industry, while contributing fresh insights on how Nigeria’s vibrant creative sector can be harnessed to fuel sustainable economic growth.
Essay entries will be assessed for factual accuracy, imagination, originality, creative and innovative thought by an independent expert Panel of Judges drawn from leading IP practitioners, artists, producers, creatives, academics, policy experts, scholars, and regulators across the country.
Winners and outstanding participants of the 2025 National IP Essay Competition will receive a variety of exciting learning, professional development and capacity building prizes
The competition is open to all registered students (undergraduate and postgraduate) of recognised tertiary institutions in Nigeria, including Universities, Colleges of Education, Polytechnics, as well as Professional or Vocational institutions.
Entry requirements:
What their judges will look for:
For submission enquiries, contact them.
Apply for WIPO National IP Essay Competition