TEKNOFEST drone championship kicks off in southeastern Türkiye

Türkiye’s premier aviation, space and technology festival, TEKNOFEST, began its drone contest on Sunday in the nation’s southeastern Sirnak province, drawing young competitors and tech enthusiasts from the region.

Nearly 18,000 young people from Sirnak applied for this year’s competitions, making it one of the top 10 provinces for participation nationwide.

The festival broke its own record, with 1.6 million participants and 730,000 teams registering for upcoming events this year.

The teams are competing across 54 different fields for a total prize of over 75 million Turkish lira ($1.5 million).

Financial support totaling over $2 million will be provided to participants.

Selcuk Bayraktar, chair of the TEKNOFEST board of directors and the T3 Foundation, attended the event.

Bayraktar stated that the initial development of the nation’s first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) took place in the province in 2006, noting that the region is experiencing a technological revival following the end of terrorism over the past two decades.

He said Sirnak has achieved significant milestones in Türkiye’s quest for full technological independence.

He added: “Nearly 18,000 of our young people applied to technology competitions, and Sirnak ranked among the top 10 provinces nationwide in terms of applications; by producing 22 semifinalist teams, it achieved a major success relative to its population.”

The competition serves as the first event of the southeastern leg.

TEKNOFEST Southeast will feature regional events and conclude in the province of Sanliurfa in early October.

The organizers will host the TEKNOFEST Blue Homeland maritime event at the Golcuk Naval Shipyard in the nation’s northwest later this month to showcase advanced naval technologies.