Dubai's AI Agents Championship: 3tf is in.

Dubai opens a championship for working AI agents

On 7 October 2026, the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy opened registration for its AI Agents Championship. The brief is short: build a working AI agent that solves a real problem. USD 750,000 in grants is available. The winner of each of the four categories receives USD 150,000, and one of the four will also be named Dubai AI Agent of the Year, with additional funding. See the official championship page.

The categories are Business AI Agent, Personal AI Agent, Societal AI Agent and Youth AI Agent, where the lead participant must be under 21 at registration. Entry is free and open to UAE residents and international participants, alone or in a team of up to six, and no technical background is required. Registration closes in January 2027, and the Grand Final takes place in the first week of May 2027.

My take: 3tf is entering

I will say it plainly: 3tf is taking part. Our entry is an AI agent we are building in-house for our own work as a marketing agency. It is part of a wider project to automate the routine work around the marketing platforms we run every day.

I want us to build it for ourselves first. An agency is a demanding test bench: campaigns, content, leads and reports all run on deadlines, and an agent that saves or wastes time shows it within days. If it is not useful to my own team, it will not convince a jury.

What I like most about the format is the standard it sets. Finalists must present a fully functional agent on stage. That rewards a team that picks one problem and shows the smallest version that works, rather than the team with the biggest slide deck.

What we will demonstrate

The rules ask for entries at idea, prototype or early MVP stage that are not yet fully commercialised, and they allow an existing business to enter with a new solution or capability. That describes our agent: it is new, it is our own build, and it is not a commercial product.

In January, every team submits a prototype, a pitch deck and a demo video. Our demo will show the agent completing one real marketing task from start to finish, with a person on our team checking the result. If we reach the final, we will show the same thing live on stage.

I am applying the rule I recommend to clients: start with one measurable task and keep a person responsible for the final decision. Data handling is part of the build from the first day. The championship requires agents to protect personal, confidential and organisational data, and an agent that touches client accounts has to earn that access. This is our plan for the entry, not a result we have already achieved.

How the championship runs

The programme has three phases. Explore, in October and November 2026, includes three live workshops on agentic AI and ten short Digital Academy videos. Build, from November 2026 to January 2027, adds advanced courses, practical workshops and mentorship while teams prepare their submissions. Training is recommended but not mandatory.

The third phase, Accelerate and Compete, starts in January 2027 with 24 semi-finalists and a Tech Accelerator Programme. A semi-final pitch day in March selects 12 finalists, who pitch at the Grand Final in May to UAE government leaders, investors and industry decision-makers.

Thinking of entering? Three checks

Your stage. A fully commercialised product does not qualify. An existing business can still enter with a new AI agent solution or capability.

Originality and data. The agent must not be copied or taken from an existing repository, and it must protect personal, confidential and organisational data. All submission materials must be in English, and you can submit more than one application.

Your January deliverables. A prototype, a pitch deck and a demo video. Counting back from a January deadline leaves roughly two to three months, so fix the problem and the success measure early.

I will share how our build goes here on the blog. If you are working on an agent too, which task would you hand to it first, and how would you show it working on stage?

Source and editorial date

Primary source: Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, Create AI Agents Championship, checked 23 October 2026. Programme details are summarised from the organiser's page and may change, so check it before registering. 3tf is entering the championship and is not affiliated with the organiser; no result, partnership or award is implied.