The call for applications for the 2026 Data-Territoires Datathon has been launched in Tangier as an initiative led by the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima regional directorate of the High Commission for Planning. The announcement concerns a student competition focused on the use of data for territorial questions. It should be distinguished from the broader Data-Territoires Forum, although the competition’s concluding dates are connected with that event.
The regional HCP page documents the call, while Maroc.ma corroborates it through a MAP announcement. A notice published by the Faculty of Science and Technology in Fez, dated October 19, 2026, also relays the opportunity and links to an application document. Together, these sources confirm the launch of the Datathon and its general schedule without resolving every practical question that prospective participants may have.
A competition intended for students
The Datathon is presented as a competition for students. That description provides an important distinction between the contest and the wider Data-Territoires Forum. However, the verified information available here does not establish the required team size, the eligible institutions, the expected number of participants, or whether an individual may apply without a team. Prospective candidates should verify those conditions in the official application materials before treating their eligibility as confirmed.
The accessible sources also do not specify how many teams will be selected, which documents must accompany an application, or which criteria will be used to assess submissions. No cutoff time is provided for the October 30 deadline. Students should therefore consult the official material associated with the call and contact the organizer when they need a definite answer concerning eligibility, team composition, documentation, or the submission process.
Using data to examine territorial questions
The verified premise of the Datathon is the use of data in work devoted to territories. The call therefore establishes a competition in which participants are expected to turn data resources into work that can be presented. The available information confirms this broad approach but does not support adding technical requirements concerning software, statistical methods, submission formats, or mandatory datasets without consulting the full application documents supplied by the organizer.
The programme is structured around nine themes. However, the complete list and detailed definitions of those nine areas are not reproduced in the accessible material included in the verified record. It would consequently be premature to assign additional topics to the competition or infer specific deliverables. Candidates should use the official call to identify the theme suited to their proposed project and verify which data sources may be used for that work.
A tight schedule leading to the final
Applications are scheduled to close on October 30, 2026. The selection announcement is also placed on October 30, but the sources provide neither a cutoff time nor an explanation of how the two steps will be coordinated on the same day. This makes direct verification of the practical arrangements especially important. Subsequent stages are intended to lead the selected teams through project preparation and toward the concluding events planned for December in Tangier.
The final is scheduled for December 14, while the awards ceremony and Data-Territoires Forum are scheduled for December 15. The HCP also states that the three finalists will present their work at the Forum. The sources do not explain whether a separate presentation will take place during the final, at the Forum, or on both dates. Teams should therefore seek confirmation before making travel or presentation arrangements.
For applicants, the verified timetable contains three principal markers: the application deadline and selection announcement on October 30, the final on December 14, and the awards ceremony on December 15. The information available here does not describe every intermediate step with enough detail to build a complete operational schedule. Any planning for travel, attendance, or a final presentation should therefore rely on subsequent confirmation of the exact times and venues.
Three finalists to receive still-undisclosed prizes
The competition provides for prizes to be awarded to the three finalists, with the awards presentation scheduled for December 15. The verified information does not disclose the amount, form, or composition of those prizes. The HCP states that the details will be communicated later. Candidates should not assume that the awards involve cash, equipment, training, or another form of support until the organizer publishes a further official announcement.
The absence of prize details does not alter the announced dates, but it limits what can currently be promised to prospective participants. The only confirmed points are that the three finalists are to receive prizes and that the presentation is associated with the Data-Territoires Forum schedule. Interested students will need to follow communications from the regional HCP directorate to learn the exact nature and terms of the awards when those details become available.
Keeping the Datathon separate from the Forum
A notice on Morocco’s public procurement portal documents preparations for the wider Data-Territoires Forum. It identifies the regional HCP directorate as the entity concerned and Tangier-Assilah as the place of performance. This record supplies official context for the Forum’s organization, but it is not the Datathon rulebook. It therefore cannot be used to infer application requirements, judging criteria, team obligations, or other competition rules that are absent from the call information.
Candidates seeking clarification may use forumdata@hcp.ma or call +212 5 39 94 06 98, the contact details provided by the HCP. These channels may help confirm eligibility, the precise deadline time, required application documents, and the relationship between the final and the Forum. The value and form of the prizes, the number of selected teams, and other detailed procedures remain matters for a later official communication.
