Winners of the ‘Technology Leaders of Tomorrow’ competition announced

Creation Date: May 30, 2025 16:39

The competition, where undergraduate students from all over Türkiye, regardless of their department, had the opportunity to implement innovative technology projects, was organized in 3 different categories: "Technology for Humanity", "Technology for Sustainability and Environment" and "Digital Solutions and Innovative Technologies".

The winning projects of the competition, to which more than 400 projects applied, were announced at the award ceremony held at Zorlu PSM. Rectors from different universities, academics and Turkcell Board Members attended the ceremony, attended by Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır and many guests.

In his speech at the ceremony, Turkish Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır said; “In today’s world, political independence is only possible with economic independence, and economic independence is only possible with technological independence. With this understanding, we are working to ensure that Türkiye can meet its own needs in critical technologies with its own means and capabilities, without being dependent on anyone. The National Technology Move is Türkiye’s journey to have a greater say in global trade with high value-added products and services, and of course, to make the Turkish nation more prosperous.”

Turkcell General Manager Ali Taha Koç , who mentioned that the world is witnessing a change in the era due to developing technology, said, “Interest in software, artificial intelligence and digital transformation technologies is rapidly increasing among young people. As Turkcell, we care about our young people being able to implement their ideas that shape the future and contributing to the technology ecosystem and society. We are preparing them for the world of tomorrow by providing the support they need with the ‘Technology Leaders of Tomorrow’ competition, which is a reflection of our vision for the future of our country. In line with the National Technology Move, we will continue to stand by young people, guide them and invest in our future.”

Underlining that they were pleased with the intense interest in the competition held for the first time this year, Koç said, “As we move forward on the path to the Turkish Century, we are determined to use the transformative power of technology in a way that provides value in different layers of the ecosystem. I wholeheartedly congratulate all participants and winning teams and wish them continued success.”

The Technology Leaders of Tomorrow competition, which attracted great interest with applications from 55 different cities across Turkey, received 406 project applications from 130 different universities. The highest number of applications came from Istanbul Technical University with 21 projects, followed by Yıldız Technical University with 13 applications. The projects that came first in their categories received a cash prize of 500 thousand TL, the second place winners 300 thousand TL, and the third place winners 150 thousand TL.

AWARD-WINNING PROJECTS:

The first prize in the “ Digital Solutions and Innovative Technologies ” category went to Evoars, a platform that aims to solve the problems encountered in the production of comic world content such as anime, manga, cartoons and comics through an artificial intelligence-based web and mobile platform. A customized AI Voice Agent platform for companies that aim to increase the efficiency of their call center processes

The ScaleCall AI project, which aims to develop language skills, came in second, while the Tagora project was awarded third place in the category. Tagora, which aims to increase human quality in the training of large language models, aims to contribute to the reliable results of artificial intelligence systems with inputs and detailed feedback based on real-life scenarios from experts in the field.

In the “Technology for Sustainability and the Environment” category, the first prize went to the “Energy Efficient Smart Glass Design” project, a smart glass solution that aims to increase energy efficiency in buildings and vehicles. Second place went to the “Modular Battery Systems (MBS)” project, which focuses on increasing durability in battery technologies, while the third place in this category was the ARDV project, a sensor-based smart management system that optimizes water and fertilizer use in agricultural production.

According to the determined criteria, while the first prize was not given in the “Technology for Humans” category this year, the second prize went to the “SerenTra” project, a thermal wristband device that aims to improve the quality of life in stress management, sleep disorders and musculoskeletal disorders. The third prize went to the “From the Internet to the Hospital” project, which aims to diagnose lung cancer early with artificial intelligence.

As part of the project, over 1,200 participants were reached through live webinars organized with the participation of experts in the field and open to everyone. In addition, over 1,000 young people had the opportunity to develop themselves in the fields of technology and entrepreneurship through free training programs. Participants increased their competencies in many areas from technology trends to entrepreneurship, from project development to presentation techniques. The young people, who gained both technical knowledge and vision on topics ranging from artificial intelligence to sustainability, were well-equipped for the competition process. A 90-hour one-on-one mentorship program was also provided specifically for the projects that made it to the quarter-finals.

Participants presented their projects to the jury during May. The jury of the competition consisted of Turkcell General Manager Dr. Ali Taha Koç, TÜBİTAK Vice President Prof. Dr. Mesut Güner, TÜBİTAK Board Member Cemal Şeref Oğuzhan Öztürk, Tazi AI Founding Partner, Prof. Dr. Zehra Çataltepe, TUSAŞ Intrapreneurship and Innovation Management Chief Dr. Onur Jane, Harvard Business Review Turkey Editor-in-Chief Serdar Turan, as well as Turkcell's Deputy General Manager responsible for Human and Business Support Erkan Durdu and Deputy General Manager responsible for Network Technologies Prof. Dr. Vehbi Çağrı Güngör.