Chii chaitika
The Kurdistan Region has launched its first national AI competition, the AI Olympiad 2026, which will bring together technology enthusiasts from across the region to develop AI-based solutions to real-world problems. The competition is open to anyone aged 18 and above from Erbil, Sulaimani, Duhok, Halabja, and Kirkuk and their surrounding towns, with no university degree, student status, or institutional affiliation required to apply. The competition will be held between September and the end of November 2026, with a total prize pool of $30,000, and the winning teams will also earn the opportunity to travel to South Korea and receive a job offer.
The AI Olympiad 2026 is the brainchild of Yehya Chali, CEO of Ovanya, organized in partnership with the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Erbil and the Department of Technology of KRG.
The competition will be open to anyone aged 18 and above from Erbil, Sulaimani, Duhok, Halabja, and Kirkuk and their surrounding towns, with no university degree, student status, or institutional affiliation required to apply.
Applications will be accepted throughout September, with approximately 100 participants expected to be shortlisted from across Kurdistan.
Participants apply as individuals before being placed into teams of up to three at the mid-September kickoff event, where the categories, rules, and platform will be revealed for the first time.
Following the kickoff, teams will spend six weeks developing their projects from home, university, or the co-working spaces in Erbil, Sulaimani, Duhok, and Kirkuk, supported by bootcamps and mentorship from experienced professionals.
An expert panel will assess completed projects in early to mid-November and select the finalists, with the winners announced at an awards gala and closing ceremony at the end of November attended by government officials and industry leaders.
Kwakabva mashoko: kurdistan24.net ↗
Nei zvichikosha
The AI Olympiad 2026 is an attempt to build a stage for talented young people in Kurdistan to demonstrate their capabilities in artificial intelligence. The competition is designed to reach all five provinces equally, not to be an Erbil-centric event that others are merely invited to attend. The partnership with the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Erbil gives the AI Olympiad its international dimension and reflects South Korea's growing engagement with the Kurdistan Region's technology and innovation sector.
The AI Olympiad 2026 is an attempt to build a stage for talented young people in Kurdistan to demonstrate their capabilities in artificial intelligence.
The competition is designed to reach all five provinces equally, not to be an Erbil-centric event that others are merely invited to attend.
The partnership with the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Erbil gives the AI Olympiad its international dimension and reflects South Korea's growing engagement with the Kurdistan Region's technology and innovation sector.
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The competition will be held between September and the end of November 2026, with a total prize pool of $30,000, and the winning teams will also earn the opportunity to travel to South Korea and receive a job offer.
The competition will be held between September and the end of November 2026, with a total prize pool of $30,000, and the winning teams will also earn the opportunity to travel to South Korea and receive a job offer.