Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, launched the Create AI Agents Championship on 7 October as a new version of the emirate’s Create Apps Championship, according to the Government of Dubai Media Office. He announced it at an awards ceremony for the previous competition at Emirates Towers Boulevard. The new championship has more than Dh2.5 million in prizes, The National reported.
Key points
- The competition shifts from developing apps to building AI-agent systems for practical use.
- Four category winners receive grants of Dh550,000 each. One of them receives the AI Agent of the Year title and a Dh1 million prize.
- Entrants worldwide can submit an idea, prototype or early-stage product. Fully commercialised solutions are ineligible.
- Registration opened on 7 October, and participation closes in December 2026.
Dubai Chamber shifts the Create Apps model
The Create Apps Championship began in 2023 under Create Apps in Dubai, an initiative led by the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy. It ran for three editions before the shift to AI agents. The new competition asks entrants to identify problems, develop agents to address them, assess their impact and consider whether the resulting work could become a viable product, service or business. The Media Office describes the intended systems as autonomous agents integrated into applications that meet user and market needs.
The earlier contest drew 15,564 applications from 153 countries, according to the Media Office. It says the programme contributed to 1,700 prototypes and supported the launch of more than 140 applications. Its third edition attracted 9,754 entries. Those figures describe participation and development under the apps programme; the new championship puts the same competition framework to work on a different kind of product.
The change also sits alongside Dubai’s work on agents within government. AI Affairs previously reported that the Dubai Future Foundation launched an agentic AI accelerator for 33 government entities. Sheikh Hamdan, announcing the championship, said he wanted the technology to shape future service delivery and make services faster and easier to use. That is his stated ambition for the programme, while the contest itself invites entries for personal, business and societal uses as well as public services.
Four awards and a Dh1 million prize
Entrants compete for Best Societal AI Agent, Best Personal AI Agent, Best Business AI Agent and Best Youth AI Agent. Each category winner receives a Dh550,000 grant. One of the four winners also takes the AI Agent of the Year title and a Dh1 million prize, Khaleej Times reported. The awards put funding behind continued development of the winning projects rather than limiting the contest to recognition at the ceremony.
The societal category covers proposals concerned with inclusion, education, sustainability and social resilience. The personal category covers daily life, health, wellbeing and decisions made by individuals. Business entries can address workflows, services, decisions and customer experience in public or private organisations. For the youth category, Khaleej Times reported that a team must be led by a young participant and that its main applicant must be under 21 when registering.
The competition accepts individuals and teams from technical and non-technical backgrounds worldwide, with no minimum age for the wider contest. An entry can begin as an idea, a prototype or an early-stage minimum viable product. Existing businesses may enter a new AI-agent solution or capability, according to the Media Office. Fully commercialised solutions cannot compete. Entrants therefore need a proposal that can still be developed through the championship, rather than an established product entered for an award.
Registration runs to December 2026
Registration opened on 7 October. The programme includes workshops and a Digital Academy offering training and mentorship during November and December, The National reported. Khaleej Times reported that the academy is due to open in November with four advanced courses, four applied workshops and mentoring sessions. Participants can also use self-learning material and specialist sessions to develop their proposals and prepare presentations.
The requirements take entrants beyond submitting an idea. The championship calls for them to develop a solution, examine its potential for practical use and present the work they have done. Dubai will close participation in December 2026, with a prototype, presentation and demonstration video among the completion requirements.
