Skip to content

Region

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.

Submit yours Stay updated
Trusted by 640,000+ students worldwide

Africa stats

Listed competitions
12
Active (open deadline)
11
Featured this week
1
Categories represented
12
Spotlight Boosted until Oct 27

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 1 month

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.

Arts/Photography, Design, Architecture, Natural sciences, Health, Social sciences

Call for ideas Radicepura Garden Festival VI Edition | Gardens of hope Cultivating Coexistence

by Radicepura Garden Festival

The Radicepura Garden Festival, since it started in 2017, it is the first major international event intended to promote the culture of Mediterranean gardens, involving the main players of landscaping, art & architecture,...

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

Deadline

Oct 30, 2026

in 1 week

Prize · Other award

The 8 winning projects will be realized in the Radicepura Horticultural Park

Natural sciences

International Physics Competition: Education Program & Talent Search 2026

by Edu.Harbour International Programs

The “International Physics Competition: Education Program & Talent Search in Physics” (IPhyC) is a global physics challenge designed for high school and university students who are curious about how the universe works....

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

Deadline

Nov 1, 2026

in 1 week

Prize · Cash Prize

Cash Prizes (Total: 1500 USD): The top achievers in the Final Round receive 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Prizes, awarded globally: 1. Prize Senior: 250 USD, 2. Prize Senior: 175 USD, 3. Prize

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 3 weeks

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 month

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 1 month

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 1 month

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 1 month

Prize · Cash

Up to €1000 per competition, and publication

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

Arts/Photography, Business, Education, Law, Social sciences

Harvard Crimson Global Essay Competition

by Crimson Education

The Harvard Crimson Global Essay Competition (HCGEC) 2027 gives students aged 10–18 a global stage for their ideas. Since 2021, more than 29,000 students from 140+ countries have taken part, making it one of the world’s...

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

Deadline

Feb 10, 2027

in 3 months

Prize · Mixed/Other

Up to US$8,000 in e-gift cards, up to US$8,000 in Crimson credits, and a free place on The Harvard Crimson Summer Journalism Course.

Tech & Engineering, Business, Education

Harvard Student Agencies Case Competition

by Harvard Student Agencies

The cheapest components in Apple’s devices - storage and RAM - have suddenly become the most expensive. Should they raise prices and add value, quietly cut hardware quality to save margins, or absorb the cost to keep use...

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

Deadline

Oct 17, 2026

closed 5 days ago

Prize · Mixed/Other

Six awards totalling over $13,600 in cash and Ladder Internships scholarships. Every student who submits receives a certificate.

Browse Africa competitions by Category

Explore what disciplines are represented among competitions in Africa.

Arts/Photography 68 Tech & Engineering 43 Design 57 Business 37 Architecture 30 Fashion 17 Natural sciences 26 Education 36 Health 18 Law 9 Mathematics 15 Social sciences 26

Related Articles

Guides and insights from the Student Competitions Magazine.

All articles →

Get weekly Africa competition alerts

Pick regions and categories so we only send what's relevant.

You can unsubscribe anytime. We email weekly.