Windhoek Technical High School's Techies has claimed first place in the high school category at the 10th Annual Programming Competition awards. 

Namibia University of Science and Technology's Phonics Team took the top spot among tertiary competitors.

The Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) hosted the awards over the weekend. 

HTS Techies walked away with N$8,000 in prize money, while NUST Phonics earned N$10,000. Delta Geeks from Delta Secondary School secured second place in the high school division, winning N$5,000, and Okahandja Secondary School finished third with N$3,000. Among tertiary institutions, the University of Namibia's UNAM Drillers team came second, winning N$8,000, and Triumphant College's TCT Team 1 placed third, winning N$4,500.

The competition, which ran from the 19th to 29th September under the theme "Empowering the Future: Coding for Education, Science, and Technology", brought together learners from primary, secondary and tertiary levels across the country for 10 days of hackathons, mentorship and coding challenges.

Keynote speaker and digital entrepreneur Nikolai Tjongarero shared his journey as a digital entrepreneur to inspire the new industry players.

Industry players pointed out the need for locally developed solutions, citing Namibia's recent wildfires in Etosha as an example where homegrown drone technology could make a difference.

Israel Shilongo, Director of Young Engineers Namibia and Co-Founder of Rubenstein Chess, said children should get involved in technology and innovation classes as early as possible.

The organisers said the annual competition has grown into a flagship platform for nurturing problem-solving, creativity, and industry mentorship, reaffirming NUST's commitment to equipping Namibia's youth for a digital future.