3rd Edition · In collaboration with IEEE
Competition on Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN’26)
A global competition soliciting innovative ideas and aspects of NTN for next-generation wireless connectivity through a “magazine-style” paper — organized by the IEEE Communication Society Satellite & Space Communications Technical Committee and the Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST) of Saudi Arabia.
- Submissions are now closed
- Riyadh, Saudi Arabia · October 2026
- $30,000 in awards
- Top 10 finalists hosted at the event
About the Competition
The competition seeks researchers and scholars worldwide to submit unique ideas to ‘enable sustainability’ via non-terrestrial networks and their integration with terrestrial networks.
This edition of the competition (NTN’2026) is hosted in a special event titled Global Space Connectivity and Sustainability, which brings together two flagship global forums: the Space Sustainability Forum and the Connecting the World from the Skies Forum. The special event will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in October 2026.
Top 10 Finalists
The top 10 selected applicants will be hosted during the event in Riyadh to present their work.
90-Minute Poster Session
Finalists present their ideas to a global audience of researchers, regulators and industry experts.
Three Grand Prizes
Finalists compete for three grand prizes totalling $30,000, announced during the event.
Competition Stats
280
Participants
40
Reviewers
81
Submitted Papers
Technical committee of the competition
Competition Chairs
Dr. Muhammad Alrabeiah
Advisor, CST
Dr. Gunes Karabulut-Kurt
Professor, Polytechnique Montréal and Chair of IEEE ComSoc SSC
Dr. Giovanni Giambene
Assoc. prof., University of Siena and Vice-Chair of IEEE ComSoc SSC
Technical Committee Members
Dr. Jeffrey Andrews
Dr. Wael Jaafar
Dr. Saleh A. Alshebeili
Dr. Li You
Wessam Ajib
Khalid Aldubaikhy
Baha Eddine Youcef Belmekki
Juan A. Fraire
Marco Giordani
Ismail Guvenc
Ali Hussein Muqaibel
Lokman Sboui
Animesh Yadav
Hong-Chuan Yang
Islam Tanash
Fatma Abdelkefi
Wiem Abderrahim
Bassel Al Homsi
Abdullah Alqasir
Dogay Altinel
Pietro Cassarà
Abdulkadir Celik
Yunfei Chen
Boya Di
Alberto Gotta
Harald Haas
George Kyriacou
Jianping Pan
Venkatesha Prasad
Muhammad Shakir
Di Zhang
Yaser Hassan
Tomaso DelCola
Finalist Posters
Winners
Youcef Belmekki
Mohamed-Slim Alouini
AI-Enabled Multi-Layer NTN for Rapid Target Acquisition in Desert Search and Rescue
Gunes Karabulut Kurt
Wael Jaafar
Affordable Connectivity from the Skies: A Subsidy-Aware Pricing Framework for Satellite Services Under Public Budget Constraints
Marco Giordani
Tommaso Melodia
Michele Zorzi
Commercial Aircraft as Sustainable Relays for Satellite Direct-to-Device Access
Submitted Paper Requirements
Submission Deadline
Papers should be submitted via EDAS by August 5, 2026 at 6 PM Riyadh, Saudi Arabia time.
Eligibility
The first author should be a full-time graduate student at the time of submission, or should have received their PhD in 2024, 2025 or 2026.
Paper Format & Length
Up to 6 pages double column including references, figures and tables (Times New Roman, 12-pt, 20-pica column width) — no more than 5,000 words in total, inclusive of title, authors’ names, abstract, body, figures, tables, captions, footnotes, acknowledgements and references.
Sustainability Statement
Via EDAS, applicants will be required to describe, in no more than 200 words, how their ideas relate to sustainability in general, in space or on earth.
Publication Status
Papers published by August 5, 2026 (even in an online early-access form) cannot be considered — papers under review or in preparation for submission are welcome.
Competition Awards
The Competition on NTN is pleased to announce three generous awards for the top three submissions.
$15,000
First Winner
Grand prize for the most innovative and impactful submission.
$10,000
Second Winner
Awarded to the runner-up submission.
$5,000
Third Winner
Awarded to the third-place submission.
Recognizing young researchers
These awards aim to recognize and honor the most innovative and impactful contributions from young researchers and scholars in the field of Non-Terrestrial Networks. We look forward to your participation and to celebrating the groundbreaking solutions that will shape the future of global connectivity.
Submit Your Paper
Submissions are now closed. Winners will be announced during the Global Space Connectivity & Sustainability Events, 12–14 October 2026 in Riyadh.