The premier aviation, space, and technology festival of Türkiye, TEKNOFEST, has officially opened its drone competition in the southeastern province of Sirnak. The event has drawn a significant number of young technology enthusiasts from across the region, marking the start of the festival's southeastern leg.
This year’s edition of the festival has achieved record-breaking engagement, with 1.6 million people and 730,000 teams registered to participate nationwide. Within Sirnak, nearly 18,000 young individuals applied for the competitions, a figure that places the province among the top 10 nationwide for participation. According to event organizers, Sirnak has successfully produced 22 semifinalist teams, representing a significant achievement relative to its population.
Selcuk Bayraktar, chairman of the TEKNOFEST board and the T3 Foundation, attended the opening event to underscore the province's importance in the country's technological landscape. Bayraktar noted that Sirnak is currently experiencing a technological revival, pointing out that the initial development of Türkiye's first unmanned aerial vehicle took place in the province back in 2006. He emphasized that the region has seen a positive transformation following the end of terrorism over the past two decades.
Participants in this year's festival are competing across 54 different fields, with total prize money exceeding 75 million Turkish lira, equivalent to approximately $1.5 million. Furthermore, more than $2 million in financial support is being allocated to competitors to assist in their projects.
The TEKNOFEST Southeast program will continue with various regional events before the series concludes in Sanliurfa in early October. Additionally, organizers are scheduled to host the TEKNOFEST Blue Homeland maritime event later this month at the Golcuk Naval Shipyard in northwestern Türkiye, where advanced naval technologies will be showcased.
