- What
- Global food-tech competition; the third edition offered $2m in cash, winners selected.
- Who
- Early-stage food-tech start-ups for arid, hot climates; UAE market focus.
Checked · October 2026 · foodtechchallenge.com · How we check ↗
See FoodTech Challenge (UAE) on the map next to the other 113 programmes in the UAE — and filter the whole Gulf by type, deadline and equity.
Open the map →In detail
FoodTech Challenge (UAE) is a startup competition (cash prize) in the UAE. Global competition for early-stage, tech-driven solutions that transform food systems in arid, hot environments, launched in 2019 under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and organised in Abu Dhabi; it helps start-ups set up and scale in the UAE. The third edition, delivered by the International Affairs Office at the Presidential Court and Tamkeen, offered its largest prize yet — $2m in cash — and received more than 1,200 submissions from over 113 countries; its winners have been selected. The website names no date for a next edition.
- Amount
- Prize of $2m in cash (third edition)
- Eligibility
- Early-stage, tech-driven solutions that transform food systems in arid, hot and increasingly challenging environments · global applicants, with emphasis on the UAE market
- Sectors
- Food technology
- food loss and waste reduction
- climate-smart food production
- Benefits
- Set-up support in the UAE · pathways to markets across the Global South
- Status
- Closed — third edition finished and its winners selected; no next edition announced on the website (checked October 2026)
What the source says
“The FoodTech Challenge is a global competition that identifies and supports leading early-stage, tech-driven solutions poised to transform food systems in arid, hot, and increasingly challenging environments.”
“The competition which is offering its largest prize yet – $2m in cash – seeks to help winners make tangible progress in scaling their start-ups.”
“In its third and current edition, the FoodTech Challenge has received more than 1,200 submissions from over 113 countries.”
“The winners of the FoodTech Challenge 3.0 have been selected!”
“While emphasizing the UAE market, the competition also provides explicit pathways to generate impact in markets throughout the Global South.”
“Advance your start-up in the UAE and beyond”
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Compare grants & prizes in the UAE
| Cost | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| FoodTech Challenge (UAE)Global food-tech competition; the third edition offered $2m in cash, winners selected. | $2m | No equity | Closed |
| Expo City Dubai Foundation — Changemakers AcademyGrants up to AED 50,000 plus incubation for idea-stage impact founders. | up to AED 50,000 | Grant | Closed |
| TiE Women MENAPitch competition with US$50,000 in equity-free cash prizes. | US$50,000 | No equity | Active |
| Zayed Sustainability PrizeNon-dilutive prize: US$1M per category winner, US$100K per finalist. | US$1M | No equity | Closed |
| Al Quoz Creative Entrepreneurship Competition (Dubai Culture)Cash prizes of AED 80,000 / 50,000 / 30,000 for the top three (2025 edition). | AED 80,000 | No equity | Closed |
| MBZUAI Incubation and Entrepreneurship Center (IEC)AI startup incubator at MBZUAI with a grant for early-stage development. | not published | Grant | Active |
Highest amount in each programme’s own “What” line. Other currencies converted for sorting only (Gulf pegs; KWD, EUR, GBP approximate).
More programmes that take no equity →
Questions founders ask
What does FoodTech Challenge (UAE) offer?
Global food-tech competition; the third edition offered $2m in cash, winners selected.
Does FoodTech Challenge (UAE) take equity?
No equity — cash prize.
Is it open now?
No — it is currently closed. The status on this page follows the programme’s own site.
How do I apply?
No application form is published. Its website is the way in.
Sources
Primary source · foodtechchallenge.com · LinkedIn · linkedin.com/company/foodtechuae · Checked October 2026