Web Summit Qatar 2026

It is an innovation competition run by Al Jazeera Media Network (AJMN) to identify and incubate cloud-based, AI-driven solutions that help define the newsroom of the future. The winning Solution will move into a 3–6-month Implementation Engagement with AJMN’s technical and editorial teams.

We are looking for enterprise-grade solutions where AI acts as a thought partner to journalists and editors, not just a data-aggregation tool. This may include assisting with discovery, verification, analysis and publication of news content; understanding audiences and sentiment at scale; monitoring media ecosystems and brand perception; and detecting emerging trends and narratives early across platforms and languages.

Your Solution must address at least one of: (1) AI in News Gathering & Publishing; (2) Verification, Knowledge & Editorial Support; (3) Sentiment, Audience & Performance Analysis; (4) Brand Awareness & Media Intelligence; (5) Trending News & Signal Detection; (6) Multilingual and Cross-Format Content Adaptation; and (7) Newsroom Workflow Automation & Orchestration. You may address more than one area but should clearly indicate which area(s) your Solution targets.

Eligibility is set out in the Terms and Conditions of Entry (“Terms”), but in summary: entrants must be of the age of majority when they enter; must be capable of entering into contracts with AJMN and delivering an enterprise-grade implementation (e.g. start-ups, companies, registered entities or developer teams); must hold a valid Event Ticket for at least one of the two Web Summit Events; and must not fall into any excluded category (for example, certain AJMN employees or related persons). Please read the full eligibility criteria in the Terms before entering.

You must hold a valid Event Ticket for at least one of the two Web Summit Events (Qatar or Lisbon) to be eligible to enter. However, shortlisted teams (Finalists) will present their Solutions online via video conference after the Closing Date — not at any Event venue. You do not need to attend any specific Event to present.

You must hold a valid Event Ticket for at least one Web Summit Event. The Event Ticket is issued by and paid for (if applicable) to the Event organiser — not to AJMN. Complimentary, sponsored, exhibitor, and media tickets all qualify. One ticket to one Event is sufficient. You do not need tickets for more than one Event.

Stage 1 – Submission: submit your Solution and required materials via the Entry Portal by 11:59 p.m. (Qatar time) / 8:59 p.m. (Portugal time) on 12 November 2026. There is a single Closing Date for both Events.

Stage 2 – Technical Evaluation: AJMN’s technical committee reviews eligible submissions and selects shortlisted teams (expected to be up to five (5)) by 3 December 2026.

Stage 3 – Online Presentations: shortlisted teams present via video conference between 8 December and 31 December 2026 (exact date to be confirmed). Presentations are not held at any Event venue.

Stage 4 – Winner Announcement: the Winner will be announced at Web Summit Qatar 2027 (or at such other time and in such manner as AJMN may determine).

Through the online Entry Portal you will be asked to provide: (a) a written description of your Solution, including the problem, technical approach, architecture, expected workflows and impact; (b) a working artefact (MVP, functional prototype, existing product); (c) architecture diagrams; (d) data-flow diagrams showing key data sources, processing steps and integration points; (e) a short video demonstration showing how the Solution works from a user perspective; and (f) any key technical documentation (for example API documentation, deployment or runbook basics) that will help AJMN assess feasibility and integration. You must also clearly identify any third-party materials (such as open source or other third-party software) that will form part of the Solution. The Entry Portal will set out the accepted file formats and size limits (currently a maximum of 64 MB per file, up to five (5) files, plus additional links for code repositories and video demonstrations).

No. Only one entry per Start-up may be submitted across all Events, regardless of how many founders, employees or team members are associated with the Start-up, and regardless of how many Event Tickets are held.

Eligible submissions will be assessed against Evaluation Criteria that include (i) Operational Relevance: How well the Solution aligns with real business priorities and core operational functions (beyond just editorial needs); (ii) Technical Solidity: The strength of the underlying architecture, the sophistication of AI capabilities used, the richness of functions, and the quality of the cloud-based design; (iii) Problem-Solution Fit: The ability to clearly pitch and demonstrate a business need and prove exactly how the Solution bridges that gap; (iv) Maturity of Solution: The readiness of the Solution for deployment (functionality vs. concept).

The Winner will receive an Award Package that currently consists of: (a) a monetary component with an aggregate value of up to USD $20,000; and (b) the opportunity to enter into an approximately 3–6-month Implementation Engagement with AJMN under a separate Implementation Contract to deploy the Winning Solution in AJMN’s environment.

The monetary component is payable in two stages. First Stage Payment: USD $2,000, payable following AJMN’s formal announcement of the Winner, subject to the Winner satisfying all eligibility requirements and complying with the Terms up to that point. This payment is not conditional on signing the Implementation Contract, but AJMN may withhold or delay it if it reasonably believes the Winner is in breach of the Terms or has provided false or misleading information. Second Stage Payment: USD $18,000 payable in instalments against the Milestones set out in the Implementation Contract and agreed SOW/acceptance criteria, with each instalment conditional on achievement and written sign-off of the relevant Milestone. Each instalment is conditional on the relevant Milestone being achieved and signed off in writing by AJMN, and on the Winner providing a valid legal invoice together with up‑to‑date bank account details and any KYC, tax and similar information reasonably required by AJMN. The final instalment is payable only after AJMN’s final written sign‑off confirming that the Solution has been successfully delivered and integrated and that all Milestones have been satisfactorily met. AJMN will pay each instalment that falls due within sixty (60) days after the later of its sign‑off of the relevant Milestone and its receipt of a valid invoice.

No. The Second Stage Payment is not guaranteed. It is paid in instalments and each instalment is conditional on the Winner achieving the relevant Milestone and AJMN’s written sign‑off. If a Milestone is missed, only partially achieved or achieved late, AJMN may (in its reasonable discretion) withhold the instalment in whole or in part, defer it pending re‑performance, pay a reduced amount reflecting the value actually delivered, or terminate the Implementation Contract and decline to pay any unpaid balance.

The Second Stage Payment is paid in instalments tied to Milestones in the Implementation Contract. If you miss a Milestone, only partially achieve it, or achieve it late, AJMN may (acting reasonably): withhold the relevant instalment in whole or in part; defer payment pending you re‑performing the work to AJMN’s satisfaction; pay a reduced amount reflecting the value actually delivered to AJMN; and/or terminate the Implementation Contract and decline to pay any unpaid balance of the Second Stage Payment. AJMN’s rights to reclaim sums already paid are unaffected.

The Terms do not commit AJMN to pay any additional implementation fees or commercial consideration beyond the Award Package described above. Any further consideration (if agreed) would be documented in the Implementation Contract and related commercial documentation. Entrants should not assume any additional payment beyond the Award Package unless and until agreed in writing with AJMN.

Any taxes, charges or similar amounts arising from receipt of any part of the Award Package (including the First Stage and Second Stage Payments) are the Winner’s responsibility, unless applicable law requires AJMN to withhold or account for such amounts. Portuguese-resident Winners are responsible for declaring prize income under the IRS (Imposto sobre o Rendimento das Pessoas Singulares). No statutory withholding applies to skill-based prizes in Qatar. Winners should seek independent tax advice.  AJMN may withhold from any instalment such amounts as it is required by law to withhold and account for those amounts to the relevant authority; the net amount remitted to the Winner constitutes full and final discharge of AJMN’s payment obligation in respect of that instalment. Any bank, intermediary or foreign‑exchange charges are borne by the Winner. 

The Implementation Engagement is a time-bound engagement, expected to last around 3–6 months, during which the Winner works with AJMN to deploy and integrate the Winning Solution in AJMN’s environment, in line with agreed deliverables, milestones and acceptance criteria.

The Implementation Contract is a separate agreement between AJMN and the Winner that sets out the detailed deliverables, milestones, timelines, SOW, acceptance criteria and technical obligations, defines responsibilities on both sides, may include additional commercial terms (if agreed), and operates alongside the competition Terms. Entering into the Implementation Contract is a condition for receiving the Second Stage Payment.  The Implementation Contract will set out the agreed Milestones, the value attributable to each Milestone payment and the Milestone payment schedule against which the Second Stage Payment will be paid.

The Winner must commit sufficient technical resources (such as developers and architects) to deliver the agreed implementation within the timeframe specified in the Implementation Contract, including integration, testing and validation activities.

As a condition of receiving the Award Package and entering into the Implementation Engagement, the Winner will be required to assign to AJMN all intellectual property rights in the Winning Solution and the related Submission Materials, subject to any pre-existing/background IP carve-outs agreed in the Terms and Implementation Contract.

You may identify pre-existing/background IP and third-party components used in your Solution. You must ensure you have all necessary rights and licences to use and incorporate them, that your use complies with applicable open-source and third-party licence terms, and that your use does not prevent AJMN from exercising the rights granted to it under the Terms and any Implementation Contract.

Non-winning entrants retain ownership of their Solutions and Submission Materials, subject to any limited rights granted to AJMN in the Terms (for example rights to use submission materials for judging, documentation and certain promotional purposes).

Shortlisted teams may be given access to limited internal datasets, interfaces or sandbox environments to prepare their final online Presentation Stage submission and support implementation work. Before receiving such information, teams must sign AJMN’s Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) and comply with any security and data-handling instructions provided by AJMN.

AJMN will process the personal data of entrants and their team members to administer and evaluate the competition, communicate with entrants and announce results, document the competition and its outcomes, and manage any subsequent Implementation Engagement. Details are set out in AJMN’s applicable privacy notice(s), which are referenced on the entry form. Processing will be carried out in accordance with applicable data protection laws, including: (a) Qatar’s PDPPL and (b) the EU/EEA GDPR (as applicable to the Lisbon Event). AJMN will not share your personal data with Web Summit or any Event organiser without your separate consent. Further details are set out in AJMN’s applicable privacy notice(s), which are referenced on the entry form.

Your participation is governed by the “Next-Gen Newsroom” Discovery Challenge Terms and Conditions of Entry, any NDA you sign with AJMN, and, if you are the Winner, the Implementation Contract and associated documentation.

The Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Qatar. Any disputes will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent courts of Qatar, as described in the Terms. Nothing in the Terms deprives you of the protection afforded by mandatory consumer-protection provisions of the jurisdiction in which you are habitually resident.

AJMN reserves the rights described in the Terms, including rights to verify eligibility and disqualify entrants, modify or cancel the competition, if necessary, withhold or cancel some or all of the Award Package in specified circumstances, and decline to proceed with an Implementation Engagement if key conditions are not met.

Entries must be submitted via the official Entry Portal accessible from the competition landing page. Entries submitted by email or other channels will not normally be accepted.

Yes. At the point of submission you will be asked to confirm that you have read and accept the Terms and the applicable privacy notice(s) and that you are authorised to submit the entry.

The full Terms and Conditions of Entry are available at the link provided on the competition landing page and Entry Portal. If you have questions not covered in this FAQ or the Terms, please contact the competition team at NewsCompetition@aljazeera.net.

You only need a valid Event Ticket for one Event to be eligible. You may attend multiple Events, but only one entry per Start-up may be submitted regardless of how many Events you or your team attend or how many Event Tickets you hold. Duplicate entries will be handled in accordance with clause 8A of the Terms.

The “Entrant” is the person or entity that actually submits the entry and is bound by the Terms — either the Start-up itself (where it is a duly incorporated legal entity) or an individual participant submitting on behalf of the Start-up. The “Start-up” is the underlying business by reference to which eligibility and the entry cap are measured. Every entry must be made by an Entrant acting on behalf of a single identified Start-up, and any prize is awarded to that Start-up (with the Entrant warranting that it has authority to submit on the Start-up’s behalf and to receive any prize for it).

A Portuguese-language summary of the Terms and these FAQs will be made available to Entrants at Web Summit Lisbon. The full English-language Terms remain the governing version.

AJMN will process your personal data in accordance with the EU/EEA General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). AJMN will appoint a representative in the EU/EEA under Article 27 GDPR before the Lisbon Event. You may exercise your GDPR rights (access, rectification, erasure, restriction, portability, objection) by contacting AJMN at the address in the Terms. AJMN will not share your data with Web Summit without your separate consent.

The Competition is a challenge of pure skill. No element of chance, random selection, lottery or draw is used at any stage. All judging decisions are based on published Evaluation Criteria and the professional judgment of qualified evaluators.