Five major hackathons announced winners across Africa and the Middle East in early November 2026, showcasing innovation in artificial intelligence, healthcare technology, and financial services. The competitions drew thousands of developers and entrepreneurs competing for substantial prize pools.
Undertow emerged as the winner of Qloo's Global Agentic Hackathon on November 9, 2026, in New York, attracting nearly 3,000 developers worldwide. The same week, Strive claimed victory at the ICC Global Hackathon held at the Dubai AI Festival on November 4, 2026, winning USD 5,000 for its web platform focused on increasing athlete monetization and discovery.
In Nigeria, multiple hackathons crowned champions within days of each other. Team Vhorde won the Ecobank InnovateX Hackathon on November 5, 2026, securing N5 million from a total prize pool of N22 million distributed among finalists. The following day, Wema Bank announced the winners of Hackaholics 7.0 following its grand finale in Lagos on November 6, 2026, distributing N300 million across innovators. Kelvin Nnadi of Neural Forge took first place in the hackathon category with an AI-powered medical diagnostic solution, earning N30 million. David Campbell of Nexa AI placed second with N20 million, while Uti Henry of Vhorde claimed third place with N10 million. Tony Niteon Nwose of Niteon was named the overall winner, receiving N60 million.
In Qatar, Health Tech Hackathon 2025 winners were announced during November 7–8, 2026. The competition featured two distinct tracks. In the Launchpad Track, HandOsteoVision won first place and 50,000 QAR, HERO placed second with 40,000 QAR, and OryxMed claimed third with 30,000 QAR. The Spark Track saw PillPal secure first place and 40,000 QAR, Shifa place second with 30,000 QAR, and ATF take third with 20,000 QAR.
The wave of hackathon announcements reflects growing investment in technology innovation across emerging markets. The competitions demonstrate strong momentum in developing solutions for healthcare, artificial intelligence, and sports technology sectors, with organizers distributing millions in prize money to reward winning teams and ideas.