Join South Africa's Largest AI Build Challenge
Use AI to build a real website that solves a real problem in your community. No coding needed. Working out what to build is the tricky bit, and that part is yours.
Register your interest
Two minutes. Be first to know when registration opens on 30 November.
AI is just a tool. The problem you pick matters more than how you build it.
Three steps from a problem to a build
You do not need to know how to code. You need to notice a problem worth solving, and the AI helps you do the rest.
Find a real problem
Pick one of five themes. Then look around. The spaza shop nobody can find online. The clinic queue with no system. The gogo who cannot use her phone.
Build it with AI
Answer a few questions about the problem and who it is for. Your AI tool turns that into a working website. You make the calls. The AI does the typing.
Pitch it
Record a short video. Show the problem. Show your solution. That is a complete entry.
From sign-up to the win
Here is how it runs, start to finish.
- 1Starts here30 November 2026
Registration opens
The day after matric finals. Sign up, pick your problem, start building.
Register your interest - 230 Nov 2026 - 15 Feb 2027
Build your site
Use AI to build a live website that solves it. Take the time to get it right.
- 315 February 2027
Submissions close
Your live site and your pitch video, in by midnight.
- 416 Feb - 15 Mar 2027
Public voting
The builds go live. South Africa votes for the best.
- 21 March 2027
Winners announced
On Human Rights Day. Cash prizes and the spotlight.
Five themes to spark an idea
Every great build starts with a real problem. Choose the kind of change you want to make.
Youth & Education
Help young people learn, choose, and get ahead.
Like: Matric learners who do not know what to study. Bursaries nobody can find. Subject choices made blind.
Township Economy
Put local businesses and traders on the map.
Like: Spaza shops that are invisible online. Informal traders with no way to be found. Small businesses with no website.
Health & Wellbeing
Make health easier to reach and understand.
Like: Clinic queues with no system. Health info nobody can trust. Where to go and when.
Safety & Environment
Make your community safer and cleaner.
Like: No easy way to report a problem. Waste and pollution with nowhere to flag it. Safety info that is hard to find.
Digital Access & Inclusion
Help the people technology leaves behind.
Like: A gogo who cannot navigate her smartphone. The elderly or disabled locked out of everyday apps.
Your idea is the hard part.
Do not see your problem here? Pick the closest theme. What matters is that it is real to you.
Register your interestThere is a prize. But that is not the point.
A share of R75,000 in cash for learners across all five themes, plus mentorship and a national spotlight. The money is what gets you started. The skill is what stays with you.
- Cash prizes in every theme
- One overall national winner
- Mentorship with the Zaio team
- Featured at the winner reveal
- Paid into the school's bank account
- Unrestricted. The school decides what it is for.
- Signed off by the independent auditor
Prize figures are indicative and will be confirmed before launch.
Powered by South Africa's tech community
The Build Challenge is made possible by partners who believe young South Africans should build the future, not just use it.
Headline partner
Supporting partners
Accredited by
Partner slots shown for layout, to be confirmed before launch.
Frequently asked questions
No. It is free to enter and free to take part. You will not pay a cent.
What would you fix first?
Register your interest today. Be first in line when the Build Challenge opens on 30 November.
Register your interest
Two minutes. Be first to know when registration opens on 30 November.