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Main Description 💡 About the Hackathon

Welcome to UAE vs Saudi: Youth Entrepreneurship Exchange — the ultimate cross-border hackathon uniting the brightest young minds, developers, and aspiring founders across two of the fastest-growing startup ecosystems in the world.

This challenge bridges the vibrant digital hubs of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, pitting regional talent head-to-head to solve critical economic, digital, and societal challenges. Whether you are pitching a game-changing fintech solution, a sustainability engine, or an AI-driven platform, this hackathon is designed to turn ambitious youth-led ideas into scalable, market-ready startups.

🔥 What Makes It Special?

  • ⚔️ Friendly Bilateral Rivalry: Tap into the unique synergy between the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Compete for regional pride while collaborating across borders with peers, co-founders, and cross-cultural teams.

  • 🌐 Cross-Border Market Access: Build solutions with real dual-market impact—leveraging the UAE’s global hub advantages alongside Saudi Arabia's rapidly expanding domestic market and Vision 2030 ecosystem.

  • 🤝 Direct Mentorship from Regional Leaders: Gain direct access to seasoned tech founders, venture capitalists, and industry experts operating across Riyadh, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi.

  • 🚀 Real Acceleration Pathways: Top projects win more than just prizes—they unlock incubation access, investor introductions, and fast-track pathways into leading regional accelerators and startup programs.

  • 🎯 Youth-Centric & Inclusive: Built specifically to empower high school students, university builders, and early-stage innovators. We focus on execution speed, bold vision, and tangible prototype potential.

🏆 Key Tracks & Focus Areas

We are challenging participants to build innovative software or hardware-enabled solutions across four core tracks:

  1. Fintech & Next-Gen Economy: Cross-border payment solutions, digital assets, and financial inclusion tools tailored for Gulf consumers.

  2. Sustainability & Smart Cities: GreenTech, circular economy solutions, and clean energy tech aligned with regional sustainability goals.

  3. AI & Digital Innovation: Intelligent automation, SaaS platforms, and AI tools built for regional enterprise and consumer markets.

  4. Youth & Future Work: EdTech, creator economy tools, and web-based platforms empowering the next generation of builders.

Requirements

Submission Requirements

To ensure a valid entry for the UAE vs Saudi: Youth Entrepreneurship Exchange, all teams must build a working prototype and submit all required deliverables on Devpost before the deadline.

💻 1. What You Need to Build

Your project must address one of the official hackathon tracks and showcase a functional, software- or hardware-enabled solution designed to create impact in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, or across both markets.

  • Working Prototype / MVP: Your submission must include a functional software application (web app, mobile app, AI model/agent, API, etc.) or a working hardware-software demonstration.

  • Originality: Projects must be built during the hackathon period. Pre-existing projects are not permitted unless significant new functionality or a major pivot was developed specifically for this event.

📝 2. What to Submit on Devpost

Your Devpost submission must include the following elements:

🟢 Project Overview & Description

  • Project Name & Tagline: A clear, catchy title and a one-sentence summary of your solution.

  • Detailed Written Pitch: Provide a full breakdown addressing:

    • The Problem: What specific challenge in the UAE/Saudi market are you solving?

    • The Solution: How does your project address this issue?

    • Target Audience: Who are your end users or customers?

    • Tech Stack: What languages, frameworks, APIs, or tools were used?

    • Challenges & Learnings: Key technical or strategic hurdles overcome during the hackathon.

    • Future Roadmap: How you plan to scale or commercialize the project post-hackathon.

🎥 Video Demo (2–3 Minutes)

  • A public video link (YouTube, Vimeo, or Loom) demonstrating your project in action.

  • Video Content Guidelines:

    • Problem & Pitch (30-45 sec): Briefly explain the idea and its cross-border impact.

    • Live Demo (1-1.5 min): Show the product functioning live. Walk through core user flows and key features.

    • Technical / Execution Overview (30 sec): Briefly highlight how it was built.

  • Note: Narrated slides-only pitches without a working product demo will be penalized.

🔗 Source Code Repository

  • A link to a public repository (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, etc.) containing your project’s code.

  • The repository must include a README.md file with instructions on how to set up and run the code locally or access the deployed build.

🌐 Live Demo Link (Optional, but Strongly Recommended)

  • A link to a deployed web application, live API endpoint, or downloadable app binary (e.g., Vercel, Netlify, APK, or test link) so judges can interact with your solution directly.

📋 Checklist Before You Submit  

  • [ ] Registered team members are added to the Devpost project.

  • [ ] Correct track selected for your submission.

  • [ ] Code repository is set to Public.

  • [ ] Video demo link is viewable without login permissions.

  • [ ] Submission finalized before the official countdown ends.

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

$10,000 in prizes
First Prize
$10,000 in cash
1 winner

Devpost Achievements

Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:

Judges

World Hackathon Federation

World Hackathon Federation

Judging Criteria

  • 60:40 AI RULE

Questions? Email the hackathon manager

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