Africa Earth Observation Challenge 2026

📖 About Africa Earth Observation Challenge

The Africa Earth Observation (AEO) Challenge is an annual open innovation initiative, established in 2016, aimed at sourcing novel space technologies. The challenge seeks to:

• Drive entrepreneurial activity in the African space industry.
• Promote awareness of the value of Earth Observation Data (EOD) across the continent.
• Address multiple sectors such as water and food security, mining, logistics, insurance, and more.

🎁 Benefits of Africa Earth Observation Challenge

Participants in the challenge can expect the following benefits:

Financial Support

• Cash prizes in the form of grants totaling $10,000, distributed among the top three winners.

Incubation & Mentorship

• 4-month online incubation and virtual mentorship.

Cloud Services

• Up to $10,000 worth of Amazon Web Services Activate credits, distributed among the top three winners.

Technical Support

• Access to technical support from leading Earth Observation Data (EOD) organizations.

Data Packages

• 3 months access to Maxar Imagery Portal Securewatch.
• Access to Planet Labs data and imagery for R&D purposes.
• Access to ESRI sample data, apps, notebooks, and deep learning models.

IP Services Support

• Intellectual property-related support services from Von Seidels, a leading intellectual property attorney firm.

Technology Subscriptions

• Various subscription packages to ArcGIS, user conference passes, and ESRI Imagery Summit access.

Media Publicity

• Features in interviews and editorials via selected media channels.

✅ Eligibility Criteria

To qualify for the Africa Earth Observation Challenge 2026, applicants must:

• Be based in Africa.
• Have a solution or idea that utilizes Earth Observation Data (EOD).
• Demonstrate innovation and scalability.
• Address real-world challenges in one of the thematic sectors.
• Be at an early or growth stage (startup or project phase).

📅 Application Date and Process

• Application Deadline: 05 June, 2026
• Interested applicants can apply by visiting the official application website.

🌟 Contact Information

For more details, visit the official website of the Africa Earth Observation Challenge.

• Financial Support: Cash prizes in the form of a grant of up to $10,000 in total (to be distributed across top three winners).
• Incubation & Mentorship: 4-month online incubation and virtual mentorship.
• Cloud Services: Up to $10,000 worth of Amazon Web Services Activate credits (to be distributed across all three winners).
• Technical Support: Technical support will be available to the Challenge participants from the leading EOD specializing organizations.
• Data Packages: 3 months access to Maxar Imagery Portal Securewatch; Access to Planet Labs data & imagery for R&D use; Access to ESRI sample data, apps, notebooks, deep learning models.
• IP Services Support: Intellectual property-related support services from intellectual property attorneys, Von Seidels.
• Technology Subscriptions: Various packages of subscriptions to ArcGIS, user conference pass and ESRI Imagery Summit.
• Media Publicity: Feature in interviews and editorials via selected media channels.