Category 08
Emerging Young Stars
Early-career developers and engineers already shipping real products — the fresh faces of Pakistan's next tech generation.
Opens Sunday, September 13, 2026 ← All categories
Who should apply
- Students (college/university) building real projects on their own time
- Self-taught teenagers with GitHub portfolios and app store releases
- Bootcamp graduates showing exceptional drive and initiative
- Open-source contributors under 25 with meaningful commits
- Career changers with less than 2 years in tech but outsized impact
What judges look for
- Potential over polish — raw talent, hunger, and learning velocity
- Projects built despite limited resources, funding, or formal training
- Self-learning trajectory: what did they teach themselves and how fast?
- Community involvement: helping peers, organizing study groups, mentoring others
- Boldness to try, fail, and try again — resilience and grit
Eligibility
Universal criteria
Experience & leadership
3–5+ years in technology, mid-tier (non-CXO) roles, proven leadership and impact.
Innovation & creativity
Demonstrated problem-solving and creative solutions within your field.
Growth & mentorship
Continuous learning plus developing others through mentorship or training.
Adaptability & resilience
Proven resilience through crises or significant organizational change.
Ethics & responsibility
High ethical standards, diversity & inclusion, community and sustainability work.
Candidates
Nominees in Emerging Young Stars
Showing 36 of 125 applicants
Abdul Ahad Shaikh
NomineeAbdul Ghani
NomineeAbdul Hadi podcastwala
NomineeAbdul Mutaal
NomineeAbdul Rafay Hakeem
NomineeAbdul Samad
NomineeAbdullah
NomineeAdrash Bhatia
🏆 WinnerAfaq Ul Islam
NomineeAleena Fayyaz
🏆 WinnerAli Hassan
NomineeAli Zahid
NomineeAmmar Tariq
NomineeAmna Mubarak
NomineeAnoushey Chandio
NomineeAreeba Ajmal
NomineeAreeba Sheikh
Nomineeareesh e mustafa
NomineeAsad Ahmed
NomineeAsad Nasir
NomineeAsim Akhter
NomineeAUSAF UL ISLAM
NomineeAyesha
NomineeBarirah Mansoor
NomineeDaniyal Asif Usmani
NomineeDeleted user #4137
NomineeDeleted user #6313
NomineeDeleted user #8543
NomineeDr Shafqat Rasool
NomineeENGR. IKHLAS BANO
NomineeErum Naz
NomineeFaizan Shah
NomineeFareeda Bano
NomineeFatimah Noman
NomineeGhulam Mustafa Shah
NomineeHabib Muhammad Khan
NomineeCommon questions
FAQ
I have no professional experience — can I still apply?
Absolutely. This category is specifically for very young people with raw potential. Personal projects, hackathon wins, open-source contributions, and self-taught skills all count.
Applications open Sunday, September 13, 2026
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