TEKNOFEST is the world’s largest aerospace and technology festival, playing a critical role in the development of national technology in Türkiye and organized in partnership with numerous institutions.
Inaugurated in 2018, TEKNOFEST features technology competitions, air shows, concerts, talks, and various events designed to ignite society’s interest in technology and raise awareness about Türkiye’s emergence as a technology-developing nation. Technology competitions in various fields and categories take place within the scope of TEKNOFEST, providing opportunities for hundreds of thousands of young people to turn their dreams into reality.
The inaugural festival, held at Istanbul Airport in 2018, featured competitions in 14 categories, attracting 4,333 teams and 20,000 individual applications. In contrast, TEKNOFEST 2019, hosted at Istanbul Atatürk Airport, received 17,373 team applications and 50,000 individual applications from all of Türkiye’s 81 provinces and 122 countries for technology competitions spanning 19 categories.
The following year, TEKNOFEST was held at the Middle East Expo Center in Gaziantep, featuring technology competitions across 21 categories that attracted 20,197 teams and 100,000 young people from 81 provinces and 84 countries. The fourth edition of TEKNOFEST took place at Atatürk Airport in 2021, bringing together 44,192 teams and 200,000 individual applicants from across Türkiye and 111 nations for technology competitions spanning 35 categories.
In 2022, TEKNOFEST Karadeniz unfolded in Türkiye’s Black Sea region, centered around Samsun’s Çarşamba Airport, showcasing 40 technology competitions aligned with the focal areas of the future. The event drew applications from over 154,000 teams and more than 600,000 contestants from all 81 provinces of the country and 107 countries.
Later that year, TEKNOFEST expanded beyond Türkiye’s borders and made its debut at Crystal Hall in Baku, Azerbaijan. The event featured 10 technology competitions that garnered 1,010 team applications and 5,636 individual applications.
In 2023, TEKNOFEST took place in Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir, hosting technology competitions spanning 41 categories aligned with the focal areas of the future. These competitions attracted applications from over 333,000 teams and more than 1 million individuals from all 81 provinces of Türkiye and 96 countries.
At TEKNOFEST Mediterranean 2024, held in Antalya, over 200,000 teams and more than 800,000 young people participated in technology competitions across 50 different categories. TEKNOFEST Adana 2024, held in Adana, was once again a spectacular event. Held from October 2–6 at Adana Şakirpaşa Airport, it attracted 1.1 million visitors. A total of 1.65 million young people from 100 countries took a major step toward becoming the technology leaders of the future by applying to technology competitions organized under 50 main categories and 128 subcategories.
In 2025, TEKNOFEST made history by organizing three different festivals, one of which was held abroad in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), alongside events in Mavi Vatan and Istanbul, bringing technology enthusiasts together across diverse geographies. These events showcased projects developed in the fields of science, technology, innovation, and engineering to wide audiences while expanding the TEKNOFEST excitement on both national and international scales.
TEKNOFEST TRNC was held between May 1–4, 2025, at Ercan Airport. Within the scope of technology competitions organized across 6 main categories and 13 subcategories, 15,750 teams and 47,865 competitors from 22 countries and 81 cities applied. A total of 268 teams and 1,083 competitors advanced to the finals. Participants were provided with 3 million TRY in financial support and 2.5 million TRY in prize awards. The festival welcomed 225,000 visitors. TEKNOFEST Mavi Vatan took place between August 28–31, 2025, at the Istanbul Shipyard Command. Focused on maritime technologies, this special event featured three competitions, attracting over 2,500 teams, with 86 teams qualifying for the finals. Champion teams were awarded a total of 2,400,000 TRY, while the festival hosted 175,000 visitors throughout its duration. TEKNOFEST 2025 Istanbul was held between September 17–21, 2025, at Istanbul Atatürk Airport. As part of TEKNOFEST Istanbul 2025, TEKNOFEST Technology Competitions were organized across 58 main categories and 137 subcategories covering the future’s key focus areas. These competitions received applications from 565,776 teams and 1,100,000 competitors from 96 different countries, with 13,000 competitors qualifying for the finals. Participants received over 85 million TRY in financial support and over 65 million TRY in prize awards. Throughout TEKNOFEST 2025, a total of 1,503,000 visitors were hosted.
TEKNOFEST 2026 IN ŞANLIURFA!
The world’s largest Aerospace and Technology Festival, TEKNOFEST, will be held in Şanlıurfa in 2026, a city distinguished by its thousands of years of history and deep-rooted civilizational heritage. Taking place at GAP Airport from September 30 to October 4, TEKNOFEST 2026 will bring science and technology together with millions at the zero point of history, Şanlıurfa.
Organized under the leadership of the Turkish Technology Team Foundation (T3 Foundation) and the Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Industry and Technology, with the support of Türkiye’s leading technology companies, public institutions, media organizations, and universities, TEKNOFEST will take place at Şanlıurfa GAP Airport from September 30 to October 4, 2026.
TEKNOFEST continues its journey within the framework of the National Technology Initiative, inspired by its past and confident in its youth, taking firm steps toward the future.