Sheikh Hamdan launches Create AI Agents Championship to inspire transformative ideas for global good
- Last updated: October 7, 2026 | 21:52
Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, affirmed that the forward-looking vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has enabled Dubai to shape the future by staying ahead of the world in harnessing advanced technologies.
Announcing the launch of the Create AI Agents Championship, which represents a new vision for the Create Apps Championship, Sheikh Hamdan said that Sheikh Mohammed’s vision has inspired an exceptional development model focused on enhancing human capabilities and empowering people to benefit from advanced technologies like artificial intelligence, reinforcing Dubai’s global leadership and excellence across diverse sectors.
Sheikh Hamdan’s remarks came as Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum honoured winners of the third edition of the Create Apps Championship at Emirates Towers Boulevard.
The championship is part of the Create Apps in Dubai initiative led by the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy to support app development, digital skills, and technology entrepreneurship in the emirate.
Across its three editions, the championship has attracted 15,564 applications from 153 countries, contributed to the development of 1,700 prototypes, and supported the launch of more than 140 applications. The third edition alone drew 9,754 entries from around the world.
Sheikh Hamdan emphasised that Dubai will remain a platform for creativity that benefits the world at large, taking shape through innovative initiatives and applications that enhance government performance and contribute to building a new generation of services that advance societies and improve people’s quality of life.
Sheikh Hamdan added: "Advancing Dubai’s global vision of transforming ideas into pioneering projects that benefit humanity, we announce today the launch of the Create AI Agents Championship, which represents a new vision for the challenge. Through this initiative, we will move into a new phase of harnessing these technologies, with the aim of making Dubai the first city to lead innovation in this field. This will contribute to shaping future approaches to service delivery, making services more efficient, faster, easier, and more closely centred on people.”
He invited innovators from around the world to participate in the challenge in its new form, saying: "Dubai opens its doors to every inspiring idea that can help change the world, create a positive impact, and bring us closer to the bright future we aspire to.”
He also congratulated winners of the Create Apps Championship for the innovative ideas and applications they developed, which have contributed to creating tangible impact. He stressed the importance of transforming promising ideas into practical achievements, adding: "Dubai is strengthening its position as an incubator for talent, expertise, and capabilities, providing an environment that empowers talent to compete in shaping the future. This is reflected in the significant success of the Create Apps Championship, which, through the strong participation and engagement it has attracted, has evolved beyond being simply an initiative to become a catalyst for inspiration and for accelerating the exploration of new horizons in artificial intelligence.”
The awards ceremony for the third edition of the Create Apps Championship was attended by Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications and Chairman of Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy; Mohammad Ali Rashed Lootah, President and CEO of Dubai Chambers; and Saeed Al Gergawi, Vice President of Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy.
Participants will compete across four main categories.
The Best Societal AI Agent category recognises solutions that create positive social impact by strengthening social cohesion and inclusion and supporting education, sustainability, and social resilience.
The Best Personal AI Agent category recognises AI agents that enhance daily life, productivity, health, wellbeing, and personal decision-making.
The Best Business AI Agent category recognises AI agents that enable public- and private-sector organisations to improve workflows, services, decision-making, and customer experience.
The Best Youth AI Agent category is open to participants who are under 21 years of age at the time of registration. For team entries, the team must be led by a participant who also meets this age requirement, and the lead applicant must be under 21 when the team registers.
Each category winner will receive a grant of Dhs550,000 to support the continued development of their AI-agent solution and the growth of their venture.
One of the four category winners will also receive the Championship’s highest recognition, the AI Agent of the Year title, and receive Dhs1 million.
The Championship’s total prize pool exceeds Dhs2.5 million.With the launch of the Championship, registration opened to innovators, entrepreneurs, students, and technology developers from around the world.
Participants will have the opportunity to develop AI-agent systems that address real-world challenges and have the potential to grow into impactful ventures.
Three introductory workshops on Agentic AI will follow. In November, the Digital Academy will open, offering four advanced training courses, four practical workshops, and mentorship sessions. Registration will close in December 2026, with participants required to submit an AI-agent prototype, pitch deck, and demo video.
Participants will also have access to self-paced learning content, workshops, specialised sessions, and mentorship programmes to deepen their understanding of AI agents, refine their ideas and solutions, assess their potential, and prepare their pitches.Applications may be submitted via www.dubaichamberdigital.com/en/create-ai-agents
The Create AI Agents Championship represents a significant evolution in the competition model, shifting the focus from developing digital applications to creating autonomous AI-agent systems integrated into practical applications designed to meet real user needs and market requirements.
The launch of the Championship forms part of Dubai’s efforts to accelerate the adoption of Agentic AI and enhance the readiness of the business ecosystem to harness its capabilities. This will further support the emirate’s ambition to reinforce its global leadership in the economic and commercial application of these technologies while creating new opportunities for innovation and growth.
The Championship encourages participants to identify priority problems, design AI agents to address them, test the impact of the solutions they develop, and explore the potential to transform them into viable and scalable products, services, and commercial ventures.
The Championship is open to innovators from around the world, from both technical and non-technical backgrounds, with no minimum age requirement. Individuals and teams may enter with an innovative idea, prototype, or early-stage MVP. Existing businesses may also submit a new AI-agent solution or capability, while fully commercialised solutions are not eligible. This broad eligibility is designed to encourage a wider range of high-potential ideas and solutions.
The Championship is designed to support the development of innovative AI-agent solutions and assess their impact and potential for real-world application. Rather than concentrating solely on technical development, it encourages participants to identify priority challenges, develop solutions to address them, evaluate their potential, and explore how they could evolve into scalable and sustainable products, services, and business models.
Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum honoured the winners of the third edition of the Create Apps Championship across four categories: Best Youth-made App, Most Impactful App, Most Innovative App, and Longevity App of the Year.
The Best Youth-made App award went to Ettan Ehsan, a gamified learning platform that transforms school subjects into short, visual, and engaging challenges.
The Most Impactful App award went to RUSH, a marketplace offering curated group travel experiences designed around shared interests and connections.
The Most Innovative App award went to LiaPay, an AI-powered financial wellness assistant that analyses financial and employment data to provide personalised insights and guidance.
The Longevity App of the Year award went to POP by Kwelio, a smart medication-adherence app that uses behavioural science, gamification, and predictive analytics to encourage consistent medication use.
The prestigious title of Dubai’s App of the Year was awarded to POP by Kwelio.
Finalists and semi-finalists of the Create Apps Championship will also be offered direct entry to Oraseya Capital’s Launchpad, a six-month in-person programme designed to support early-stage startups before they are investment-ready.
Through structured guidance, access to expertise, and connections to the right networks and resources, the programme will help participating founders accelerate product development, refine their business models, and build early traction. Oraseya Capital is the Venture Capital arm of Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority (DIEZ), investing in startups from pre-Seed to Series-B.
Since its launch in 2023, the Create Apps Championship has evolved from an app development competition into a global platform supporting founders and innovators in the digital economy, providing a pathway to turn technology ideas into scalable ventures and applications.
WAM