ŞIRNAK
Teknofest has launched its program in southeastern Türkiye with the opening stage of its Drone Championship in Şırnak, ahead of the main festival in Şanlıurfa from Sept. 30 to Oct. 4.
Selçuk Bayraktar, chairman of the Teknofest board and the T3 Foundation’s board of trustees, attended the competition at Şırnak City Stadium and met with young participants.
“The technology drive will rise from the southeast,” Bayraktar said, noting that competitions and other events would be held across the region.
Nearly 18,000 young people from Şırnak applied to Teknofest’s technology competitions, placing the province among the top 10 nationwide in applications, he said. Twenty-two teams from the province reached the semifinals.
Other regional events are planned in Diyarbakır, Siirt, Batman, Gaziantep, Mardin and Adıyaman before the main gathering in Şanlıurfa. Applications were received from all 81 provinces and 97 countries, according to Bayraktar.
A record 1.6 million competitors in 730,000 teams applied this year, he said. Organizers will provide more than 100 million Turkish Liras in support and over 75 million liras in prizes.
Before the Şanlıurfa festival, Teknofest Blue Homeland will take place at Gölcük Shipyard from Aug. 20 to 23. Bayraktar said the event would feature TCG Anadolu, TCG Istanbul and TCG Savarona, alongside the Kızılelma, Akıncı and TB3 aircraft.
Bayraktar also recalled that much of the early development work on the Bayraktar Mini UAV was conducted in Şırnak in 2006, describing the city as his “second home.”
