Dubai Opens a Global Contest for AI Agent Builders, With Grants of Up to USD 150,000

DUBAI — As the Dubai AI Festival concludes at Dubai World Trade Centre, one of the programs featured there is aimed squarely at people who want to build something. The Create AI Agents Championship, launched on October 7, invites founders, students and developers worldwide to turn an idea into a working AI agent, with grants for the winners.

What Was Announced

The Dubai Media Office reported that Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, announced the championship as a new vision for the Create Apps Championship. The earlier contest is part of the Create Apps in Dubai initiative led by the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy. Across its three editions, it drew 15,564 applications from 153 countries, contributed to 1,700 prototypes and supported the launch of more than 140 apps, according to the Media Office. The third edition alone attracted 9,754 entries.

The new format shifts the focus from apps to autonomous AI-agent systems built for real user and market needs. The official championship page defines an AI agent as more than a chatbot: one that can understand a goal, make decisions, use tools and take action, and plan across multiple steps.

Four Categories

Entrants compete in one of four categories:

• Best Societal AI Agent, for solutions with positive social impact.
• Best Personal AI Agent, for tools that improve daily life, productivity or wellbeing.
• Best Business AI Agent, for public- or private-sector workflows, services and decision-making.
• Best Youth AI Agent, for entries led by someone under 21 at registration.

One of the four winners will also be named Dubai AI Agent of the Year.

The Money

Prize figures differ slightly between the two official sources, so founders should read both. The championship page states that each category winner receives a USD 150,000 grant, a total of USD 750,000 in grants, and that the AI Agent of the Year gets additional funding. The Media Office’s announcement gives the amounts in dirhams: AED 550,000 per category winner, AED 1 million for the AI Agent of the Year title, and a total prize pool exceeding AED 2.5 million. Neither source we reviewed says how the AED 1 million relates to the category grant. Participation is free, and entrants cover their own development costs.

Who Can Enter

According to the championship page, the contest is open to students, entrepreneurs, developers and the “AI-curious,” with technical and non-technical participants welcome and no minimum age. Individuals and teams of up to six may enter. Key conditions include:

• The agent must be at the idea, prototype or early-MVP stage and not already fully commercialized. Existing businesses may enter a new AI-agent solution or capability.
• Entries must be original and not copied from an existing repository.
• Solutions must protect personal, confidential and organizational data.
• Finalists must demonstrate a fully functional agent, not just an MVP, at the Grand Final.
• All materials must be submitted in English.

The Calendar

The championship page lists three phases. Registration opened October 7, followed by three live “Agentic AI” workshops in October and November and a self-paced Digital Academy in November. Participants then build through four advanced courses, four practical workshops and mentorship, producing a prototype, pitch deck and demo video. Registration closes in January 2027, 24 semi-finalists are named that month, and 12 finalists reach a Grand Final in the first week of May 2027.

The Media Office’s release said registration closes in December 2026, so confirm the deadline on the official page before planning around it.

Where It Fits at the Festival

The Dubai AI Festival runs October 26 and 27 at Dubai World Trade Centre. A Seed Group preview describes the third edition as organized by Dubai AI Campus at DIFC, with more than 150 speakers, 500 investors and 200 exhibitors expected. The Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy is running a championship session at the festival, covering the categories, eligibility, mentoring and a hands-on exercise.

Why Founders Should Look

The Media Office says the championship is meant to push founders beyond building a prototype and toward products, services and businesses that can scale. For an early-stage team, that structure may be the most useful part: mentorship, pitch training and, for some entrants, access to investors and government decision-makers. The championship page notes that semi-finalists will join a Tech Accelerator Programme.

Registration and the full rules are at the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy’s championship page. Questions can go to createaiagents@dubaichamber.com.

Details come from the Dubai Media Office and the championship’s official page as of October 27, 2026, and may change.