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Student Competitions in Africa

Africa hosts growing student competitions that reflect both the continent's challenges and its extraordinary talent. Pan-African innovation competitions, science olympiads and entrepreneurship challenges are increasingly backed by international development organisations, technology companies and diaspora foundations. Many competitions focus on solutions relevant to African contexts, from agricultural technology and health systems to urban infrastructure and cultural heritage preservation. Students from Africa and those studying African development issues globally will find opportunities with both strong prizes and meaningful impact pathways.

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Arts/Photography, Natural sciences

The Nature Photography Contest 2026

by The Nature Photography Contest

Do you want to share with the world the wonders of the planet and contribute to its protection? Then don’t miss the opportunity to participate in The Nature Photography Contest, an international photography contest for p...

Global, Europe, Asia, North America, South America, Africa, Oceania, Middle East · Open to everyone

Deadline

Nov 15, 2026

in 4 days

Prize · Cash Prize

€2000 in cash prizes and others

Arts/Photography, Tech & Engineering, Design, Business, Architecture, Fashion, Natural sciences, Education, Health, Law, Mathematics, Social sciences

Global Sustainability Challenge

by Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, Technical University of Munich, IIT Bombay, Zhejiang University, Hong Kong UST, UNESP Brazil, YGA

The Global Sustainability Challenge, brought to you by the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability and leading institutions worldwide, invites university students to develop bold solutions in Sustainable Energy and Adapt...

Global, Europe, Asia, North America, South America, Africa, Oceania, Middle East · Bachelor, Master, PhD

Deadline

Nov 22, 2026

in 1 week

Prize · Cash Prize

Cash Prizes, Global visibility and recognition, Invitation to Stanford EcoGlobal program

Architecture

Best Thesis Award 2026: Architecture — Global Excellence Recognition

by ArchiBriefer

OVERVIEW: An international award inviting architecture students and recent graduates to showcase innovative thesis projects demonstrating originality, technical excellence, and impact on the built environment. KEY DE...

Global, Europe, Asia, North America, South America, Africa, Oceania, Middle East · Bachelor, Master, PhD

Deadline

Nov 25, 2026

in 2 weeks

Prize · Publicity

Global Recognition + Media Exposure + Certificate.

Tech & Engineering, Business, Education, Social sciences

Global Innovation Challenge

by Build Learning

The Global Innovation Challenge 2026 is a fully virtual business, entrepreneurship and social impact competition for high school students worldwide. ​Students will develop, test and pitch an original business, startup...

Global, Europe, Asia, North America, South America, Africa, Oceania, Middle East · High school Students

Deadline

Nov 30, 2026

in 2 weeks

Prize · Cash

USD $1,500 Seed Award from the Global Builder's Seed Fund

Arts/Photography, Design, Natural sciences

Anthology Creative Competitions - Writing, Art & Photography

by Anthology Magazine

Offering a variety of competitions established to encourage and promote visual artists and writers, the Anthology Creative Awards provide a platform for emerging creatives to publish their work. There are eight categorie...

Global, Europe, Asia, North America, South America, Africa, Oceania, Middle East · Open to everyone

Deadline

Nov 30, 2026

in 2 weeks

Prize · Cash

Up to €1000 per competition, and publication

Tech & Engineering, Design

Join IVY League startup's founding engineering team (BREEZE Engineering Challenge by ThermaLabs)

by ThermaLabs

Apply to be on our founding engineer team. ThermaLabs is a startup founded by an IVY league entrepreneur. We're building clothing that keeps people cool while they work in extreme heat. We're looking for the engineers...

Global, Europe, Asia, North America, South America, Africa, Oceania, Middle East · Bachelor, Master, PhD, Open to everyone

Deadline

Dec 6, 2026

in 3 weeks

Prize · Mixed/Other

$5000 design prize. A job on our founding engineering team: $40 an hour + Equity for students, from $90,000 a year + Equity for graduates.

Tech & Engineering, Design

Better Design Award (BDA) 2026

by Shenzhen Industrial Design Profession Association (SIDA)

Better Design Award (BDA) 2026 The Better Design Award is an international design competition seeking outstanding projects that demonstrate how design can drive innovation, technological development and real-world impac...

Global, Europe, Asia, North America, South America, Africa, Oceania, Middle East · Open to everyone

Deadline

Dec 12, 2026

in 1 month

Prize · Cash

4,100,000 CNY (approximately 545,900 Euro)

Tech & Engineering

PixArt University Innovation Challenge

by PixArt Imaging Inc.

The PixArt University Innovation Challenge 2027 is a free international competition organized by PixArt Imaging Inc., a global leader in CMOS image sensing technology. Unlike traditional engineering competitions that pro...

Global, Europe, Asia, North America, South America, Africa, Oceania, Middle East · Bachelor, Master, PhD

Deadline

Dec 15, 2026

in 1 month

Prize · Cash Prize

First Prize x1:US$10,000 ; Second Prize x1: US$8,000; Third Prize x1: US$6,000; Merit Awards x5: US$3,000

Arts/Photography, Tech & Engineering, Design, Business, Architecture, Fashion, Natural sciences, Education, Health, Law, Mathematics, Social sciences

Learning to Be Heard - Global Public Speaking Challenge (TED Summer School)

by Immerse Education

A free global public speaking challenge for students aged 14-18. Record a one-minute video answering: "Fast forward to 100 years from now. What difference would excite you the most? Why?" Judges look for a clear idea...

Global, Europe, Asia, North America, South America, Africa, Oceania, Middle East · High school Students

Deadline

Jan 10, 2027

in 1 month

Prize · Scholarship

Winners receive full or partial scholarships to TED Summer School 2027 in London, New York, Singapore, Sydney or online.

Arts/Photography, Design, Fashion

2027 French Fashion Awards

by International Awards Associate

Beyond the Runway. Recognising Excellence Across the Global Fashion Industry. Fashion today influences far more than what people wear. The French Fashion Awards is an international competition celebrating outstanding...

Global, Europe, Asia, North America, South America, Africa, Oceania, Middle East · Open to everyone

Deadline

Jan 21, 2027

in 2 months

Prize · Recognition/Award

Certificate, Eligibility to Purchase Statuette

Arts/Photography, Design, Architecture, Fashion

2027 French Design Awards

by International Awards Associate (IAA)

The French Design Awards is an international design competition honouring excellence across architecture, interior, product, packaging, fashion, landscape, conceptual, UX, and UI design. Recognising visionary designers,...

Global, Europe, Asia, North America, South America, Africa, Oceania, Middle East · High school Students, Bachelor, Master, PhD, Open to everyone

Deadline

Jan 21, 2027

in 2 months

Prize · Mixed/Other

Award, Promotional & Marketing Tools/Materials

Business

Sauder Capital Markets Challenge

by UBC Sauder School of Business

The SCMC Grand Prize is $10,000 CAD, awarded to the top-performing team. Sign-Up Details Registration deadline: December 15th, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. PST (Case Released October 28th at 11:59pm) Each team must have on...

Global, Europe, Asia, North America, South America, Africa, Oceania, Middle East · Bachelor

Deadline

Jan 25, 2027

in 2 months

Prize · Cash Prize

$10,000

Browse Africa competitions by Category

Explore what disciplines are represented among competitions in Africa.

Arts/Photography 20 Tech & Engineering 20 Design 23 Business 13 Architecture 13 Fashion 9 Natural sciences 10 Education 13 Health 8 Law 5 Mathematics 7 Social sciences 16

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