Beirut,  15 September 2026, The Internet Society Lebanon Chapter (ISOC-LB) is proud to announce the launch of The Gaby Deek Internet Innovation Award  2026 Edition.

The Purpose of the Award

The Gaby Deek Internet Innovation Award is a premier national inter-university competition designed to bridge the gap between academic research and real-world technological deployment. More than just a award, this initiative serves as a catalyst for youth-led innovation in Lebanon.

The award empowers university students to transform their theoretical end-of-year projects into robust, deployable systems by providing critical funding for hardware upgrades, advanced sensors, and real-world testing environments. By harnessing the knowledge, creativity, and know-how of Lebanon’s brightest young technologists, the award directly advances ISOC-LB’s core mission of cultivating a safe, secure, trustworthy, and open Internet ecosystem across the country.

About the Award

The 2026 edition opens the floor to final-year university students across Lebanon to showcase their capstone projects. We are looking for innovative, technology-driven solutions that align with ISOC’s global action plan, particularly focusing on:

  • Countering internet threats
  • Extending encryption
  • Guiding constructive Internet policy
  • Helping shape Internet legal precedent
  • Sharing cutting-edge knowledge
  • Securing global routing
  • Community Networks
  • Infrastructure and Community Development
  • Mutually Agreed Norms for Routing Security (MANRS)
  • Measuring the Internet
  • The Internet Way of Networking
  • Digital Sovereignty
  • Network and Distributed System Security (NDSS) Symposium 2022
  • Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite systems, or satellites in general
  • Sustainable Technical Community
  • Sustainable Peering Infrastructure

Eligibility Criteria

  • Applicants must be undergraduate or master’s students enrolled in a Lebanese university.
  • Projects can be submitted by individuals or teams.
  • The project must be an original technical solution (hardware or software) that leverages the Internet to solve a real-world problem within ISOC’s global action plan

Perks & Benetis

The award provides recognition and opportunities, including:

  • Winning Projects Support: $2500.
  • Certificates.
  • Public recognition.
  • Opportunities to present the project at relevant events.
  • Technical or professional networking.
  • Follow-up support for promising projects.

Important Dates

  • Application Deadline: 15 October 2026
  • Shortlist Announcement: 15 November 2026
  • Pitch & Jury Evaluation Event: Mid December (Exact date & Event location to be announced)

How to Apply

Eligible students and teams are invited to submit their project proposals by emailing info@isoc.org.lb with the subject line: “Gaby Deek Award 2026 Application – [Your University/Team Name]”.
The email should include the following information:

  • Team Name (if more than one individual)
  • Individual Name(s)
  • University Name
  • Project Title/Name
  • Area within ISOC’s global action plan where the project fits.
  • An executive summary,
  • Powerpoint presentation showcasing the project*
  • Short video demonstration (optional)*

*During the event, the students will have 5 minutes to present their project and 5 minutes for Q&A. 

About Gabriel "Gaby" Deek (1959-2022)

Gaby Deek was a visionary pioneer of the Lebanese ICT sector and a fierce advocate for internet freedom, accessibility, and open governance. A proud alumnus of ESIB (Saint Joseph University), he dedicated over three decades to building Lebanon’s digital infrastructure as a serial entrepreneur, General Manager of OmniSystems, and Chief Information Officer at SGUB. As the Co- Founder and longtime President of the Internet Society (ISOC) Lebanon Chapter, Gaby spent his life empowering youth and driving tech innovation.