Stars of Science
Qatar Foundation · Innovation competition (TV)
$300KPer official FAQ: $400,000 total prize fund, 1st prize $300,000, 2nd $100,000; Season 18 adds venture-building support in Qatar
Qatar Foundation's televised 'edutainment' competition where young Arab innovators develop prototypes with expert support and compete for prize funding.
Key terms
- Open to applicants of Arab descent aged 18–35, living anywhere in the world
- Fields: health & biomedical, ICT & computer science, energy & environment
- Applying and auditioning are free; travel and accommodation to Doha covered for selected contestants
- Season 18 (2026) applications closed 10 Jul 2026; Season 18 format emphasises venture-building in Qatar, so prize structure may differ from FAQ figures
Eligibility
- Where
- Worldwide
- Stages
- idea, pre-seed
- Needs VC/accelerator backing
- No
- Needs partner referral code
- No
- Must be incorporated
- No
- AI focus required
- No
- Students / researchers
- Eligible
- Nonprofits
- Not eligible
Also required
- Applicants must be of Arab descent (nationality/heritage), aged 18–35, living anywhere in the world
How to apply
Submit the online casting application (idea description + up to 10 supporting files of 2MB) when the annual casting call opens, typically spring to early summer.
- Benefit
- mixed
- Equity-free
- Yes
- Decision time
- —
- Credit validity
- —
- Deadline
- Applications paused (portal not accepting); annual casting typ. Apr–Jul
- Status
- Paused — next round TBA
Verified 2026-10-23 · source