ENGINEERING NIGERIA’S INTELLIGENT FUTURE
Automation • Artificial Intelligence • Robotics • Smart Production
The Future Isn’t Coming. We’re Building It.
OVER ₦50 MILLION IN PRIZES, GRANTS, TECHNOLOGY & DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES TO BE WON
Nigeria’s next generation of engineers, innovators, technologists and institutions is about to take centre stage!
Advanxis Technologies & Process Automation Ltd. presents the Third Edition of the National Automation Prize 2026 (NAP 2026) — a nationwide technology and innovation championship created to discover, develop, challenge and celebrate outstanding Nigerian talent in Automation, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Smart Production.
NAP 2026 is not just another technology competition, it is a national journey of competition, innovation, learning, engineering, mentorship, industrial exposure, entertainment and opportunity — bringing together professionals, students, technology enthusiasts, universities, polytechnics, research institutions, industry leaders, technology companies, government, investors and some of the country’s brightest technical minds.
From State Qualifiers across Nigeria to week-long Regional Innovation Camps in Lagos, Port Harcourt and Abuja, and ultimately to the National Innovation Camp and Grand Finale in Lagos, NAP 2026 is designed to find the people and institutions capable of helping engineer Nigeria’s intelligent industrial future.
ONE NATION. TWO CATEGORIES. A NEW GENERATION OF INNOVATORS.
NAP 2026 will feature two major competition categories.
INDIVIDUAL INNOVATION CATEGORY
Open to:
- Engineers and technicians
- Students and graduates
- Programmers and developers
- AI and robotics enthusiasts
- Tech hub members and makers
- Independent innovators
- Researchers
- Entrepreneurs
- Technology enthusiasts and problem-solvers
You do not have to represent a major organisation to participate.
If you have the knowledge, creativity and determination to build intelligent solutions to real problems, NAP 2026 is your platform.
INSTITUTIONAL / SCHOOLS INNOVATION CATEGORY
Open to teams representing:
- Universities
- Polytechnics
- Colleges of technology
- Research institutes
- Recognised technical and higher-education institutions
Institutions will have the opportunity to assemble teams of their brightest students, researchers and innovators to compete for national recognition, prizes and development opportunities.
This is more than a competition between schools.
It is an opportunity to demonstrate which institutions are developing the engineers, technologies and ideas capable of transforming Nigeria’s future.
THE NAP 2026 JOURNEY
SEPTEMBER 2026
NATIONAL REGISTRATION & APPLICATION
The journey begins with nationwide registration.
Individuals and institutions from across Nigeria will be invited to register and submit their applications.
Applicants will undergo eligibility and preliminary technical screening before progressing to the State Qualifiers.
OCTOBER 2026
STATE QUALIFIERS
The competition moves across Nigeria.
Participants will face a combination of:
- Technical assessments
- Innovation submissions
- Engineering problem-solving
- Design challenges
- Practical/simulation exercises
- Technology demonstrations
At the conclusion of the State Qualifiers, each participating state will produce:
1 Individual State Champion
and
1 Institutional State Champion
The successful State Champions will advance to the Regional Innovation Camps.
NOVEMBER 2026
THE NAP REGIONAL INNOVATION CAMPS
This is where the competition changes completely.
State Champions will converge at three major regional centres:
LAGOS
South West
PORT HARCOURT
South South + South East
ABUJA
North Central + North East + North West
But these will not be conventional one-day competitions.
Each regional championship will become a one-week immersive NAP Innovation Camp and technology reality experience.
Contestants will live, learn, design, build, troubleshoot, compete and innovate alongside some of the country’s leading engineers, technologists, technology companies and industry experts.
ONE WEEK INSIDE THE NAP INNOVATION CAMP
Imagine bringing some of Nigeria’s brightest technology minds into one environment and challenging them to solve real problems.
That is the NAP Innovation Camp.
Contestants will participate in:
TECHNOLOGY MASTERCLASSES
Learn directly from experienced engineers, researchers, technology leaders and industry professionals working in:
Automation
Artificial Intelligence
Robotics
Industrial IoT
Machine Vision
Digital Twins
Smart Manufacturing
Industrial Cybersecurity
Edge Computing
Process Control
Advanced Manufacturing.
NAP INDUSTRIAL MYSTERY CHALLENGE
Contestants walk into the challenge arena without knowing the problem beforehand.
A real-world industrial problem is revealed.
The clock starts.
They must understand it, develop a solution and demonstrate their engineering capability under pressure.
NAP TROUBLESHOOTING ARENA
A system has failed.
Why?
Contestants may encounter problems involving:
PLC systems
Industrial networks
Sensors
Transmitters
Control loops
VFDs
Robotic systems
SCADA/HMI
Industrial communications.
They must find the problem — and solve it.
BUILD-A-SOLUTION CHALLENGE
Contestants will receive technology resources and be challenged to build intelligent solutions addressing real Nigerian problems.
The solutions could target:
Energy
Manufacturing
Agriculture
Oil & gas
Water
Transportation
Infrastructure
Environmental management
Industrial safety
Production efficiency.
SMART PRODUCTION CHALLENGE
How do you make a production facility smarter?
Contestants will be challenged to improve areas such as:
Productivity
Energy efficiency
Quality
Reliability
Traceability
Predictive maintenance
Safety
Asset performance.
AI-ASSISTED ENGINEERING CHALLENGE
NAP 2026 will not pretend that AI does not exist.
We want to discover engineers who know how to use it responsibly.
Participants will demonstrate how Artificial Intelligence can support engineering design, diagnostics, optimisation, programming and decision-making — while proving that they can validate the results.
INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE
Contestants will have opportunities to interact with real industries and technology companies through:
Industrial visits
Control-room experiences
Technology demonstrations
OEM sessions
CEO/CTO fireside chats
Career discussions.
NAP FUTURE TECHNOLOGY NIGHT
A showcase of technologies shaping tomorrow’s world:
Robotics
AI
Machine Vision
AR/VR
Digital Twins
Drones
3D Printing
Industrial IoT
Autonomous Systems
Smart Production.
MENTORSHIP
Participants will interact with experienced:
Engineers
Technology executives
Researchers
Entrepreneurs
Industry leaders
Investors.
NAP is designed so that contestants leave with more than a competition result.
They leave with knowledge, exposure, relationships and opportunity.
THREE REGIONS. SIX NATIONAL FINALISTS.
At the end of the Regional Innovation Camps, each region will produce:
1 Individual Regional Champion
and
1 Institutional Regional Champion
That means only:
3 INDIVIDUALS
and
3 INSTITUTIONS
will remain.
Six finalists.
One final destination:
LAGOS.
DECEMBER 2026
THE NAP NATIONAL INNOVATION CAMP
The six National Finalists will converge in Lagos for another intensive one-week technology experience.
But the challenge becomes harder.
The National Innovation Camp will bring together advanced technical challenges, mentors, technology leaders, industry representatives, investors and media.
Finalists will face a National Industrial Challenge, advanced innovation and prototype development, technical assessments and mentoring.
One of the major highlights will be:
NAP INVESTOR & INNOVATION DAY
The finalists will have an opportunity to present their ideas and technologies before selected:
Investors
Technology companies
Industry executives
Government institutions
Research organisations
Potential employers and partners.
Because winning NAP should not simply mean receiving a trophy.
It should open doors.
THEN COMES THE NIGHT THAT DECIDES EVERYTHING.
NAP 2026 GRAND FINALE & NATIONAL TECHNOLOGY AWARDS
LAGOS, NIGERIA
The National Automation Prize culminates in a premium national technology showcase and awards ceremony bringing together:
Industry leaders
Government representatives
Technology companies
Engineers
Investors
Academics
Researchers
Innovators
Students
Media.
The six National Finalists will make their final presentations and defend their solutions before the NAP Technical Jury.
Highlight of the nigth will include tech exhibitions, Investors-tech meet workshop, Tech talks, entertainment among others.
At the end of the night, Nigeria will discover:
THE NAP 2026 INDIVIDUAL NATIONAL CHAMPION
and
THE NAP 2026 INSTITUTIONAL NATIONAL CHAMPION.
OVER ₦50 MILLION TO BE WON
NAP 2026 represents the biggest expansion of the National Automation Prize yet.
Participants will compete for a combined prize and development package valued at over ₦50 million, subject to the final approved prize schedule.
And the rewards will go beyond cash.
The NAP 2026 prize ecosystem is planned to include opportunities such as:
CASH PRIZES
Significant financial rewards for outstanding competitors and institutions.
TECHNOLOGY & EQUIPMENT
Automation, AI, robotics and technology resources to help winners continue building.
INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT GRANTS
Support for winning institutions to strengthen technology and engineering capacity.
AUTOMATION & ROBOTICS LABORATORY SUPPORT
Opportunities for equipment and laboratory development for outstanding institutional participants.
PROFESSIONAL & INTERNATIONAL TRAINING
Access to specialised technical training and professional development opportunities.
CERTIFICATION OPPORTUNITIES
Industry-relevant technology and engineering development programmes.
MENTORSHIP
Continued interaction with experienced engineers, technologists and business leaders.
INCUBATION & INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Promising solutions may receive support toward further development, incubation, pilot deployment or commercialisation.
INDUSTRY PLACEMENT & CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
NAP will work with participating organisations to create pathways for exceptional talent to connect with industry.
NATIONAL RECOGNITION
Trophies, awards, media exposure and the opportunity to be recognised among Nigeria’s emerging technology leaders.
THIS IS NOT WHERE NAP STARTED.
The National Automation Prize has already demonstrated its ability to identify and reward Nigerian automation talent.
The 2025 edition focused heavily on practical industrial automation, including PLC programming, SCADA/HMI development, PID control, troubleshooting and industrial simulation. Advanxis publicly positioned the programme as a platform for bridging Nigeria’s industrial automation skills gap and connecting technical talent with industry.
That edition concluded with Samuel Udefia emerging as overall winner, with cash awards presented to the leading contestants. The finale also attracted representatives from engineering, professional and public institutions and featured technical presentations and engineering engagement.
The very first edition in 2024 saw mr. Afini Alluputa emerged as the over all winner
NAP 2026 takes that foundation to an entirely new level.
From industrial automation…
to Automation + AI + Robotics + Smart Production.
From one competition…
to State → Regional → National competition.
From contestants…
to Individuals + Institutions.
From a final event…
to Innovation Camps + Reality Technology Experience + National Grand Finale.
From prizes…
to Prizes + Training + Technology + Mentorship + Incubation + Industry Opportunity.
WHY NAP 2026?
Nigeria does not lack talent.
What is often missing is the platform that challenges that talent, exposes it to real technologies, connects it to industry and gives it national visibility.
NAP 2026 intends to help close that gap.
We want to discover the engineer who can automate tomorrow’s factory.
The student who can develop an intelligent robotic solution.
The researcher whose AI system could transform production.
The technician who can diagnose the fault everyone else missed.
The institution capable of producing technologies that Nigerian industries can actually deploy.
The innovator somewhere in Nigeria who simply needs an opportunity to be seen.
NAP 2026 is that opportunity.
FOR INDUSTRY
Bring us your challenges.
Meet Nigeria’s emerging technology talent.
Demonstrate your technologies.
Find potential employees, researchers, innovators and partners.
FOR UNIVERSITIES, POLYTECHNICS & RESEARCH INSTITUTES
Bring your best team.
Represent your institution.
Build.
Compete.
And show Nigeria what your students and researchers can create.
FOR TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES
Put your technologies into the hands of innovators.
Support laboratories.
Provide mentors.
Create challenges.
Help develop the engineers who will deploy tomorrow’s industrial systems.
FOR GOVERNMENT & DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS
NAP provides a platform for advancing:
STEM education
Technical skills
Youth development
Research commercialisation
Local technology
Industrial productivity
Digital transformation
Job creation
National competitiveness.
FOR INVESTORS
Meet innovators before everyone else does.
NAP 2026 will bring together technical talent and promising solutions with the people capable of helping transform prototypes into businesses and industrial applications.
FOR THE CONTESTANT READING THIS
Maybe you are already an experienced automation professional.
Maybe you are a university student.
Maybe you build robots from a small laboratory.
Maybe you spend your evenings experimenting with AI.
Maybe your institution has developed something remarkable that few people know about.
Maybe you simply believe you can solve problems differently.
This is your invitation.
DON’T JUST WATCH THE FUTURE HAPPEN.
BUILD IT.
NAP 2026
ENGINEERING NIGERIA’S INTELLIGENT FUTURE
Automation • Artificial Intelligence • Robotics • Smart Production
SEPTEMBER — Registration
OCTOBER — State Qualifiers
NOVEMBER — Regional Innovation Camps
DECEMBER — National Innovation Camp & Grand Finale
OVER ₦50 MILLION IN PRIZES, GRANTS, TECHNOLOGY & DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES TO BE WON.
Individuals. Institutions. Innovators. Engineers. Builders.
Nigeria is searching for its next generation of technology champions.
WILL YOU BE ONE OF THEM?
THE FUTURE ISN’T COMING.
WE’RE BUILDING IT.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL AUTOMATION PRIZE
The National Automation Prize is an initiative of Advanxis Technologies & Process Automation Ltd. established to promote practical engineering competence, innovation, technical excellence and industry-driven problem solving. Previous editions have focused on industrial automation and practical control-system skills, while NAP 2026 expands the platform into Automation, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Smart Production.
ORGANISER
Advanxis Technologies & Process Automation Ltd.
Engineering • Automation • Process Control • Industrial Technology • Technical Development
Registration opening September 2026.
Partnership, sponsorship, institutional participation and media enquiries are welcome.