Dubai has launched a global competition for AI agents with a prize pool of over AED 2.5 million (about 680,000 US dollars). It is called the Create AI Agents Championship, and it is open to anyone in the world, individuals, teams, and existing businesses, with no technical background or minimum age required. There are four categories, each with an AED 550,000 grant, and one overall winner is named "AI Agent of the Year" and takes home an extra AED 1 million. To enter, you submit an AI-agent prototype, a pitch deck, and a demo video before registration closes in December 2026.
If you have been following the rise of AI agents, tools that do tasks for you rather than just answer questions, here is a concrete opportunity attached to that trend. On October 7, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, launched the Create AI Agents Championship, a global competition with real money behind it. It is the next evolution of Dubai's long-running Create Apps Championship, now refocused from mobile apps to autonomous AI agents. Here is what it is, who can enter, and how, without the hype.
What the Championship is
The Create AI Agents Championship is a global competition that invites people to build AI agents that solve real problems, then turn them into products, services, or businesses. It is organized by Dubai Chambers through the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, and it sits within Dubai's wider push to lead in agentic AI, the same shift toward AI that acts on your behalf that we have covered with tools like Meta's Muse and OpenAI's Dots.
The key difference from a typical hackathon is the scale of the backing. With a total prize pool exceeding AED 2.5 million in equity-free grants, plus workshops and mentorship, it is aimed at helping real ideas reach real deployment, not just rewarding a weekend demo.
The prizes
The money is split across four categories and one top award. Each category winner receives a grant of AED 550,000 to keep building their agent. One of those four winners is then named AI Agent of the Year and receives an additional AED 1 million. That brings the total pool to more than AED 2.5 million. Crucially, the grants are equity-free, meaning Dubai is not taking a stake in your company in exchange.
| Award | Amount |
|---|---|
| Each category winner (four categories) | AED 550,000 |
| AI Agent of the Year (one of the four, additional) | AED 1,000,000 |
| Total prize pool | More than AED 2,500,000 |
The four categories
You enter in one of four tracks, chosen to match what your agent does:
Best Societal AI Agent
Agents that support social good, things like education, inclusion, sustainability, and resilience.
Best Personal AI Agent
Agents that improve daily life, productivity, health, wellbeing, and personal decisions.
Best Business AI Agent
Agents that help organizations, public or private, improve services, workflows, and customer experience.
Best Youth AI Agent
Open to participants under 21 at the time of registration, a dedicated track for younger builders.
Who can enter
This is the part worth underlining, because it is unusually open. The competition is global: you do not need to be based in the UAE to enter. It is open to individuals, teams, and existing businesses. There is no minimum age for most categories, and the dedicated Youth track is for those under 21. And you do not need to be a professional developer; the organizers frame it as open to innovators regardless of technical background. The one real restriction: fully commercialized solutions are not eligible, so an agent you have already launched as a finished product cannot be entered.
How to enter
The process is straightforward, and the requirements are concrete. To enter, you submit three things: a working AI-agent prototype, a pitch deck explaining your idea, and a demo video showing it in action. Registration is through the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, and it closes in December 2026. The launch is also followed by introductory workshops on agentic AI, useful if you want to sharpen your concept before submitting.
The deadline is the thing to act on. Registration closes in December 2026, and a strong entry needs a working prototype, not just an idea, so the earlier you start, the better your submission will be. Pick the category that genuinely fits your agent rather than the one that sounds most prestigious, judges reward fit and real-world usefulness. And because fully commercialized products are excluded, this is better suited to something you are still building than to a finished tool you already sell.
Why it matters
Beyond the prize money, this is a signal worth reading. Governments and large institutions are now putting real capital behind AI agents specifically, not AI in general, which tells you where serious money expects the next wave of value to come from. For a builder, founder, or student anywhere in the world, it is a rare chance to get funding, visibility, and mentorship for an agent idea without giving up equity. Even if you do not enter, it is a useful marker of how fast the shift from chatbots to agents is being taken seriously at the highest levels.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Create AI Agents Championship?
It is a global competition launched by Dubai on October 7, 2026, inviting people to build AI agents that solve real problems. It is run by Dubai Chambers through the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, with a prize pool of more than AED 2.5 million in equity-free grants. It is the evolution of Dubai's former Create Apps Championship, now focused on autonomous AI agents instead of apps.
How much can you win?
Each of the four category winners receives an AED 550,000 grant. One of those four is also named AI Agent of the Year and receives an additional AED 1 million. The total prize pool exceeds AED 2.5 million, and the grants are equity-free, so you do not give up a stake in your company.
Who can enter, and do I need to be in the UAE?
No, it is open worldwide. Individuals, teams, and existing businesses can all enter, with no technical background required and no minimum age for most categories (the Youth track is for under-21s). The main restriction is that fully commercialized solutions are not eligible.
How do I apply, and what is the deadline?
You register through the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy and submit an AI-agent prototype, a pitch deck, and a demo video. Registration closes in December 2026, so if you want to take part, start building early. Introductory workshops on agentic AI follow the launch.
What are the four categories?
Best Societal AI Agent (social good, education, sustainability), Best Personal AI Agent (daily life, productivity, health), Best Business AI Agent (organizational services and workflows), and Best Youth AI Agent (for participants under 21 at registration). You enter the one that fits what your agent does.
Build with the right AI tools
Entering a competition like this starts with building a strong AI agent. Explore curated, tested AI tools on AISetApp to find what you need to design, prototype, and ship your idea.
Explore AI tools- Dubai Media Office announcement of the Create AI Agents Championship, October 7, 2026
- Entrepreneur Middle East, Gulf Today, and Business Today ME reporting on the Championship, its prizes, categories, and eligibility, October 2026
- Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy official championship page (dubaichamberdigital.com/en/create-ai-agents)
Reviewed October 2026. Details and deadlines can change; confirm the latest on the official Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy site before entering.
Researched and drafted with AI assistance, reviewed and edited by Yasser El Hardouz, who takes editorial responsibility for this article.