TEKNOFEST Unmanned Maritime Vehicle Competition

TEKNOFEST Unmanned Marine Vehicle Competition is a technology-focused engineering competition aimed at developing autonomous vehicles capable of operating on or beneath the sea surface. The competition is organized to encourage innovative solutions in the fields of maritime technology and robotic systems. The increasing use of autonomous systems in areas such as defense, logistics, environmental protection, and scientific research enhances the technical and human resource significance of such competitions.

TEKNOFEST Unmanned Marine Vehicle Competition (

Competition Objective

TEKNOFEST, which aims to support Türkiye’s advancement in various technological fields, focuses not only on aviation and space technologies but also on other strategic sectors such as maritime. The Unmanned Marine Vehicle Competition promotes the development of national and original technologies applicable in the maritime sector. Participants are expected to design systems capable of autonomously performing tasks above or below water while adapting to environmental conditions.

TEKNOFEST Unmanned Marine Vehicle Competition (TEKNOFEST)

Competition Scope

Teams participating in the competition develop unmanned marine vehicles with technical capabilities in navigation, autonomous movement, obstacle detection, target identification, and mission completion. Teams demonstrate the functionality of their systems according to predefined scenarios. The competition paves the way for applications that can be evaluated in fields such as defense industry, environmental monitoring, search and rescue, scientific exploration, and logistics. Participation is open to middle school, high school, and university students, graduates, companies, and entrepreneurs. The competition process consists of three stages: preliminary project evaluation, semifinal presentation, and prototype final. This process also enables the development of teamwork and problem-solving skills alongside technical competencies.

TEKNOFEST Unmanned Marine Vehicle Competition (

Significance of the Competition

Unmanned marine vehicles reflect the digitalization and automation trends in the maritime sector. This competition provides a concrete platform for the development of such technologies within Türkiye. It enables young engineering candidates to test their technical knowledge and skills on real-world problems while contributing to the training of human resources in related industries. Projects developed in the competition can be regarded as part of broader initiatives aimed at enhancing Türkiye’s capacity for technology production in the long term.