Engineering Competition for African Youth in Engineering Innovation 2026 Open

The Royal Academy of Engineering has officially launched the 2026 Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation, the continent’s largest award dedicated to fostering engineering ingenuity and entrepreneurship. This call invites engineers and innovators from across sub-Saharan Africa to apply with scalable innovations that address pressing social and environmental challenges.

Competition Prize

The 2026 Prize will award a total of £85,000 in funding. The overall winner will receive £50,000, while three runners-up will each be awarded £10,000. Additionally, a ‘One-to-Watch’ award worth £5,000 will be presented. Beyond financial rewards, shortlisted innovators gain access to an eight-month training and mentoring programme, covering vital skills such as financial management, business planning, and market analysis. They will also join the Academy’s extensive network of industry leaders across Africa and the UK.

Eligibility Benchmark Requirements

The Africa Prize is open to individuals or teams based in sub-Saharan Africa with a scalable engineering innovation that demonstrates social or environmental impact potential. Applicants must:

• Be citizens ordinarily residing in a sub-Saharan African country.
• Be over 18 years old and fluent in English.
• Present an innovation in the early stages of commercialisation with a viable business plan.
• Submit hardware entries with a working prototype and customer interest, or software/app entries with a functional MVP and evidence of traction.
• Provide supporting documents including a letter of support, technical diagram, and innovation photo.

When to Apply?

Applications for the 12th cycle of the Africa competition and will close in mid-September 2025. For the first time, the Prize has introduced a two (02) stage application process to simplify submissions for applicants and reviewers. Up to 16 candidates will be shortlisted, with results announced in early 2026. The training programme will run through the year, leading up to the final award ceremony where the winners will be revealed as per this call https://raeng.org.uk/news/the-2026-africa-prize-for-engineering-innovation-wants-applications-from-engineers-and-innovators-in-sub-saharan-africa/.

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