Photo: Christina Morillo / Pexels
Applications are open for November competitions in Kazakhstan, including GENESIS HACKATHON, which offers a top cash prize of 200 thousand tenge (t.me). This roundup covers eight options: hackathons for school and university students, startup competitions, a video creation marathon and awards for PR projects.
Catalyst: apply by November 13
The engineering hackathon will take place on November 14–15 at Nazarbayev University in Astana; registration at hackathon.kz closes on November 13 at 21:00. Only students at the university can take part: teams of up to five will have 24 hours to tackle challenges set by companies including ABB and KMG Engineering.
Qazaq Creative: apply by November 15
Creators can submit a project for a pitch session through the Qazaq Creative portal by November 15 to seek support. To apply, register as a legal entity, then select “Pitching” in the support measures section.
National Founder Cup in Turkestan: apply by November 17
The competition is accepting projects at the idea or early development stage until November 17; the in-person final will take place on November 21, 2026. Entry is free: register at aistartify.com using the promo code NFCTURK. Opportunities include selection for the Startup Showcase by AI Startify.
GENESIS HACKATHON: apply by November 18
Teams of two to four school students can register by November 18: the online round runs from November 19–22, followed by an in-person final on November 28–29. The promised prizes for first, second and third place are 200 thousand, 150 thousand and 100 thousand tenge respectively; registration is available through the organisers’ form.
IVL CUP in Almaty: apply by November 20
The championship will take place on November 28, 2026, from 09:00 to 18:00, both in person and online; applications close on November 20. One important detail: the advertised 5 million tenge includes service vouchers and just over 250 thousand tenge in cash prizes. Questions can be sent to @ivl_hq.
ŞAM video creation marathon: November 21–22
AIESEC will hold a free in-person competition in Almaty for participants aged 18–29: they will have 24 hours to create a video. Winners are promised cash prizes, and participants will be offered meetings with experts who will share their experience and practical case studies.
PR room Awards: apply by November 23
Entries for the PR room Awards competition are open through November 23, 2026. The awards ceremony will take place on December 5 at Art Forum in Astana: winners will receive statuettes, while the best projects will receive certificates and media coverage.
National Founder Cup in Aktobe: apply by November 30
New entrepreneurs and startups can apply by November 30, 2026, at aistartify.com using the promo code NFCAKT. Selected teams will present their projects to a panel of expert judges at the in-person final on the afternoon of December 4.
