Robotek Grand Tournament 2026 takes place in Kazakhstan

This year, the championship gathered teams from Kazakhstan, Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan. More than 220 teams from 20 regions and over 45 international teams are taking part in the competition.

Robotek CEO Sanzhar Shalkarbekov highlighted the growing international interest in the tournament.

This year, the championship is hosting teams from all Turkic-speaking countries. Every year, we see an increase in participants from across the region. This reflects the strengthening of integration processes in education and technology. Initiatives such as ‘TurkTime!’ contribute to the development of innovative cooperation and help boost the potential of our countries, said Shalkarbekov.

He emphasized that the expanding geography of participants and the exchange of experience between countries are becoming an important part of the championship’s development.

Zhanar Beissenbayeva, head at the Astana Daryny Center for the identification and support of gifted children and talented youth, noted the tournament’s importance in preparing future specialists.

Robotek Grand Tournament has been held for five years with the support of Astana city’s administration. It is an excellent opportunity for children to showcase their abilities in robotics, STEM disciplines, and drones. We are seeing real results - our graduates are enrolling in leading universities in Kazakhstan and abroad, while some are becoming winners of international competitions, she said.

She added that the level of participants continues to improve each year, and the championship itself has become a recognized IT brand in Kazakhstan.

Coach of Azerbaijan’s Karabakh team, Mahammad Samadli, shared his impressions of participating in the event.

This is our first participation, and we really like the format that combines robotics, business, and networking opportunities. It is valuable international experience for future engineers, said Samadli.

According to the organizers, the Robotek Grand Tournament Astana 2026 includes nine original categories developed by the Robotek robotics school, as well as unique competition rules that have no equivalents in other tournaments.

The winners and prize recipients will receive scholarships to study at leading universities in Kazakhstan, including the Kazakhstan-British Technical University, Energo University, and Toraighyrov University.

The championship continues to strengthen Kazakhstan’s position as one of the regional centers for STEM education and engineering skills development among school students.

Previously, Qazinform reported Team Kazakhstan bags 12 awards at the World Robotics Championship in Houston.