Dubai's Create Apps Championship has grown from a local contest into a global launchpad for tech talent, with this year's edition attracting nearly 10,000 entries from 153 countries. Among the winners were a 13-year-old schoolboy from Algeria, a former retail designer from Poland, and a Mexican academic turned fintech entrepreneur.
The competition, which began in 2023, has seen a surge in participation: the 9,754 entries this year exceed the combined total of the first two editions. Winners were honoured on 7 October at Emirates Towers Boulevard by Mohammed bin Rashid bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
From YouTube interviews to a gamified homework app
Ehsan Adouane, a 13-year-old from Algeria, started interviewing scientists on YouTube at age nine. His app, Ettan Ehsan, turns homework into a game by breaking school subjects into quick, visual challenges. It won the Best Youth-made App award. "I want to now help students just like me to make homework more fun and more fast-paced and more gamified," he said. The win brings financial backing and support from Dubai's government, which he says will help him "make my mark on the market."
Combating digital disconnection
Agnieszka Kocznur, a Polish designer who spent nearly two decades creating retail spaces for beauty brands, left her corporate job to build RUSH, an app that matches travellers with group trips based on shared interests. It won the Most Impactful App award. "We are living in a very disconnected world with technology, but we found a way for technology to bring us together," she said. Her advice to others: "You have to be courageous, believe in your ideas, and apply, see what happens."
From lecture hall to fintech
Alan Villegas, who taught entrepreneurship in Mexico City, moved to Dubai to launch LiaPay, a fintech that lets UAE employees access their salaries before payday. The app won the Most Innovative award. Villegas praised Dubai's regulator for being "friendly; they understand or try to understand the innovation."
Overcoming perfectionism
The team behind Kwelio, a medication-adherence app, credited the competition's deadlines for helping them overcome their perfectionist tendencies. "All three of us are perfectionists unfortunately and we kind of dwell on the little details so having set deadlines was a godsend," said CEO Mohamed Al Rahma. Mentors pushed them to redesign the app mid-competition, leading to a calmer, more journal-like user experience. The pitch they developed became their template for future investor meetings. Kwelio's POP took the top prize, App of the Year.
Life after the trophy
Past winners say the championship's real value lies in the credibility it brings. Takeem, a winner from the first edition, helps protect Dubai's rental market. Co-founder Rakesh Mavath said the win "opened doors to partnerships, to investors." The company now covers over 117,000 units, representing about nine billion dirhams in annual rent. "Whenever we've asked them for anything or opened a door, they've immediately done it," he added, citing the "real open-door policy to regulators and government officials."
Last year's App of the Year, Boom, helps delivery drivers find customers and set their own prices. Co-founder Mariam Mohammed Almarri said the win was a turning point: "Before the championship, the application was still a project in its early stages of ideation and prototyping."
This year's finalists and semi-finalists now enter a six-month programme with Oraseya Capital, the venture capital arm of Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority, designed to prepare young startups for investors. For those hesitating, Takeem's advice is blunt: "If you're thinking about getting involved, my advice is just do it."
The contest's growth mirrors Dubai's broader ambitions to become a global tech hub, a trend with implications for European startups looking for international expansion. As the championship evolves, it may increasingly attract European founders seeking funding and market access beyond the EU.
