Registration extended - applications now close on 4 September, 23:59 Dubai time (GST).
Where the UAE’s next cyber defenders are found.
Three rounds - online qualification, a real security case defended before an industry jury, and a live final on the Dark Stage at GISEC Global. For university students across the UAE.
Registration closes on 4 September 2026. Compete for a share of a prize pool valued at over AED 20,000.
- Rounds3two online, one live final
- Blocks05Qualification blocks, one verified owner each
- Team1-5Students per team, captain included
- Final18.09GISEC Global, Dubai
From registration to the GISEC stage
Five steps over two weeks. Right now only one of them is on you: register your team before 4 September.
- 01 - Until 4 SeptemberRegister & verifyApply with your student document. Organisers verify every applicant manually and confirm your team before Stage 1 opens.
- 02 - 5 September-7 September - onlineStage 1 - Online qualificationFive themed blocks, one per teammate: network defense, threat management, system security and incident response. Server-side timers, autosave, and forward-only answers.
- 03 - 8 September-11 September - onlineStage 2 - Case & jury reviewPick a topic, analyse the full scenario, build your own solution and submit it for jury review. Every case gets independent expert evaluations.
- 04 - 14 SeptemberFinalists announced & mentoringThe jury selects the five strongest teams and announces them publicly. Until the final, each team works with mentors to sharpen its solution and prepare for the stage.
- 05 - 18 September - offline - GISEC GlobalStage 3 - Offline finalFinalist teams present live on stage at Dubai Exhibition Centre and answer the jury's questions in real time. The jury scores from their phones as it happens. After the presentations, the teams take part in a bonus challenge - a live quiz that earns extra points on top of the presentation score - and winners are announced at the award ceremony.
Built to test real defensive capability
- Server-authoritative timing
Every block runs on the platform clock, not on yours. Answers move forward only, and each block has one verified owner.
- Judged by practitioners
Your case submission is scored against a shared rubric by an industry jury panel, not by an automated grader.
- One shared stage
Finalists defend their work live at GISEC Global, inside the same programme the industry attends.
Open to students of every UAE university
Frequent questions
Who can take part?
Students of universities in the United Arab Emirates. Every application is checked by hand against the university document you upload.
Do I need a full team before I apply?
No. You can register alone as a captain and share your team code with the people who join you later.
How do I join a team that already exists?
Ask its captain for the team code. Joining is by code, so the captain stays in control of who is on the roster.
What happens during qualification?
Your team works through the qualification blocks under a server-authoritative timer. Each block is owned by one verified team member, and submitted answers are final.
What do finalists actually do?
Finalists defend their case before the jury at the offline final on 18 September 2026, at GISEC Global in Dubai.
Highlights from the previous edition
Hear it from the organisers
Championship partners
Industrial partners
Gold partners · Silver partner
Championship by TechFirm
Learn more about TechFirmRepresenting a university or a student team?
Teams are one to five students. You can start alone as a captain and share your team code once the rest of your team is ready.
Register your team