The AfriCHI 2027 Design Competition invites teams to develop thoughtful, research-informed and contextually sensitive design responses to challenges and opportunities across African societies. We are looking for work that begins with people and place, takes African realities seriously, and opens up possibilities for futures shaped with dignity and agency. The competition is not limited to high-technology solutions. We welcome appropriate, accessible and imaginative designs, including digital products, services, systems, physical-digital experiences and community-led innovations, where the human-computer interaction contribution is clear. The competition is structured as a mentorship-driven journey. At least six teams will be shortlisted from the first-stage applications and supported through a three-week online mentorship phase. Teams will then submit refined, showcase-ready work. The top three teams will be invited to present at AfriCHI 2027.
“People, Place, and Possibilities: Designing plural African futures with dignity and agency” asks us to resist the idea that Africa has one problem, one user, one context or one future. It recognises the continent’s diversity of languages, cultures, environments, infrastructures, institutions and everyday practices. It also recognises that people are not passive recipients of technology; they should be able to shape the systems that affect their lives.
Submissions should therefore demonstrate how the proposed design is grounded in a specific African context, how people and communities have informed the design, and how the work protects or expands dignity and agency. Teams are encouraged to engage critically with both local knowledge and global HCI developments, rather than treating either as automatically superior.
The AfriCHI 2027 Design Competition aims to:
The competition will run as one open design challenge rather than separate tracks. This allows teams to respond to the conference theme without forcing diverse African challenges into fixed categories. Entries may address areas including, but not limited to:
A submission may be a digital product, service, platform, installation, toolkit, policy-facing interface, physical-digital system, speculative prototype or another form of interactive design. Emerging technology is not a requirement. The appropriateness of the solution, the quality of the design process and the benefit to the intended community matter more than technical novelty alone.
Why Participate?
Please note: Participation does not guarantee funding, incubation, commercial partnership or travel support. Any additional prize or sponsorship package will be announced separately once confirmed.
The competition is open to teams of three to five contributors. We particularly welcome undergraduate and postgraduate students, researchers, African designers, UX professionals, start-ups and interdisciplinary teams whose work is grounded in African realities.
The competition has six stages. The timings below are indicative until the exact conference schedule is confirmed.
Important Dates
| Stage | What happens | Specific dates |
| Applications for mentorships | Mentors across different HCI disciplines would be sought for. Each mentor MUST have an expertise or rudimentary knowledge of HCI | 8 Feb 2027 |
| Applications | Teams submit the online application form, team profile, motivation statement, concept idea and portfolio. | 1 Mar 2027 |
| Screening and shortlisting | The committee checks eligibility and reviews submissions. At least six teams are shortlisted. | 29 Mar 2027 |
| Online orientation | Shortlisted teams are welcomed, briefed on expectations and paired with mentors. | 12 Apr 2027 |
| Mentorship | Each team receives online support to strengthen its research, design rationale, prototype and pitch. | 19 Apr 2027 |
| Final review and selection of winners | Teams submit refined work [14th June]. Reviewers select the top three finalists. | 10 May 2027 |
| AfriCHI showcase | The top three teams present their work at AfriCHI 2027. | 28 June 2027 |
Important: Cultural references should be substantive and evidenced. Tokenistic use of African symbols, patterns, languages or traditions will not be treated as cultural integration. Reviewers will look for a credible relationship between context, research and design decisions.
All reasonable efforts will be made to provide constructive feedback. Decisions of the competition jury will be final, subject to the conference’s policies and conflict-of-interest procedures.
Complete the online application form and submit all required Stage 1 information before the deadline. Applications should be checked carefully before submission because incomplete entries may not progress to review.
All deadlines are 23:59 Anywhere on Earth (AoE) unless otherwise stated.
For general enquiries about eligibility, submissions, mentorship or the showcase, please contact: designcompetition@africhi.africa
Please include “AfriCHI 2027 Design Competition” in the email subject line.
