Dubai will host a live AI competition in November offering a $272,000 prize, as part of The Challenge initiative launched by the Dubai Future Foundation (DFF) ahead of Dubai Future Week.
The AI Grandmaster contest will bring together 20 AI practitioners for elimination rounds testing AI orchestration, product thinking, integration and measurable outcomes. The winner will receive AED 1 million, equivalent to $272,000, and be named Dubai AI Grandmaster.
The competition builds on the 2025 Global Prompt Engineering Championship, which attracted more than 3,800 applications from 125 countries. This year, participants will be assessed on their ability to combine AI tools and build practical solutions, rather than on prompt engineering alone, according to the announcement.
The Challenge will also host the finals of the fourth Emirates Robotics Competition. University teams from across the UAE will develop software for a shared robotic platform designed to identify, handle and deliver books autonomously. Teams will be evaluated on perception, grasp planning, navigation and autonomy.
Organized by Dubai Future Labs, part of DFF, the finals will take place during Dubai Future Week from November 18 to 21, 2026, at Emirates Towers and the Museum of the Future. The event is expected to attract more than 10,000 participants and will feature startup pitches, workshops, exhibitions and technology prototypes.
Source: Fast Company Middle East
