The world's largest Absher Tuwaiq hackathon kicks off in Riyadh: Details and prizes

In a move reflecting the accelerating pace of digital transformation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Ministry of Interior, in strategic partnership with the Tuwaiq Academy, announced the launch of the “Absher Tuwaiq” hackathon, considered the world’s largest technology hackathon, as part of preparations for the “Absher 2025” conference. This massive technology event is held under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Interior, underscoring the wise leadership’s commitment to empowering technology and innovation.

An exceptional technological event at Riyadh Front

The Riyadh Front Exhibition and Convention Center witnessed the arrival of over 4,000 participants, all young Saudi talents from across the Kingdom. The hackathon competitions will continue from December 11th to 13th, where innovators will compete in a stimulating environment to develop digital solutions that serve the Kingdom's security and service sectors.

The context of digital transformation and Vision 2030

This hackathon is the culmination of a remarkable journey of digital achievements by the Ministry of Interior through the “Absher” platform, which has revolutionized the concept of e-government services over the past decade. This event aligns perfectly with the objectives of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, which focuses on building a digital society and a knowledge-based economy, and investing in human capital by honing the skills of young people in emerging technologies.

Challenge paths and valuable prizes

In strategic partnership with the Saudi Data & Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), the hackathon focuses on four vital tracks that keep pace with the latest global trends:

• Artificial intelligence and security prediction: Employing advanced algorithms to enhance proactive security.
• Digital identity and its security applications: Creating secure solutions for identity verification in the digital space.
• Internet of Things and Field Technologies: Connecting devices and systems to improve the efficiency of field operations.
• Innovation and development of Absher services: Improving the user experience and providing new services to beneficiaries.

The organizers have allocated huge financial prizes worth up to one million Saudi Riyals, in addition to quality prizes consisting of 3 seats in the (MVPLAB) product sponsored by the National Program for the Development of the Information Technology Sector, which opens up broad horizons for the winners to turn their ideas into entrepreneurial projects.

The importance of the event and its expected impact

The significance of “Absher Tuwaiq” extends beyond its status as a technology competition; it is part of a comprehensive initiative aimed at empowering over 100,000 beneficiaries across the Kingdom. The outcomes of this hackathon are expected to contribute innovative national solutions to the security and service sectors, enhancing the Kingdom’s technological sovereignty and reinforcing its regional and international leadership in e-government and artificial intelligence.

It is worth noting that this technological movement paves the way for the launch of the “Absher 2025” conference from December 17 to 19, with major sponsorship from “Elm” company, to celebrate 10 years since the launch of the Absher Forum, showcasing the future of digital services in the Kingdom.