The first leg of the TEKNOFEST 2026 Drone Championship has begun in Şırnak. Thirty-two licensed athletes from 11 provinces took part in the races at the City Stadium.
The championship is being organized by the Ministry of Industry and Technology, the Turkish Technology Team Foundation and Defense Technologies Engineering and Trade Inc. The athletes competed in the qualifying rounds. The contestants entered the field accompanied by erbane drums, and the program continued with a moment of silence and the national anthem.
847 teams applied
Sadullah Uzun, director general of National Technology and Artificial Intelligence at the Ministry of Industry and Technology, said in his speech at the ceremony that TEKNOFEST was a symbol of the vision of a Türkiye that produces and develops technology. Uzun said the competition was one of the important organizations under the National Technology Initiative for developing young people's technical skills.
Uzun announced that 847 teams had applied for this year's competition and that 32 teams that completed the evaluation process had earned the right to compete in the first leg. He said the championship brought together advanced technical skills, engineering expertise and competition.
Calling on young people to compete, learn, produce and never give up trying, Uzun said the algorithms and control systems they developed could be used in unmanned aerial systems and space studies in the future. He added that the competition was also valuable for the knowledge gained, the experience acquired and the friendships formed among team members.
The second leg will be held in Batman
The second leg of the championship will be held in Batman. After all the legs are completed, the top-ranking athletes will compete in the final to be held in Şanlıurfa on September 30.
Şırnak Governor Birol Ekici said it was meaningful for the first leg to be held in the city and highlighted Şırnak's scientific and technological heritage. Ekici said the city was among the top 10 provinces with the highest number of applications in the 2026 TEKNOFEST Technology Competitions, with 17,393 applications.
Ekici said 22 semifinalist teams and three finalist teams had emerged from Şırnak. Emphasizing the need to support young people's technology development efforts, Ekici said the efforts of students and parents were a source of pride for the city.
Twenty-two semifinalist teams from Şırnak
Şırnak Mayor Mehmet Yarka described TEKNOFEST as one of the projects through which the National Technology Initiative is brought to the field. Yarka said the municipality would continue its efforts to bring young people together with science, technology, culture, the arts and sports.
Yarka said the event was not merely a two-day competition but showed that young people who produce technology were being raised in Şırnak. He said the young participants would become the engineers, entrepreneurs, scientists, designers and technology leaders of the future.
Following the speeches, the participants invited Selçuk Bayraktar to Şırnak. The pilots displayed their skills during the races, and a fireworks display was also held.
Prosecutor General Yusuf Canik, Provincial Gendarmerie Commander Major General Zafer Tombul, Provincial Police Chief Volkan Sazak, Şırnak University Rector Prof. Dr. Abdurrahim Alkış, heads of public institutions, representatives of civil society organizations, students and local residents attended the event.
