Environment Hackathon

Environment Hackathon is a digital competition in the environmental field in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, launched by the Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture on March 23, 2022, on the sidelines of Saudi Environment Week 2022. It features the participation of university students, programmers, entrepreneurs, and technology enthusiasts, with prizes amounting to SAR300,000.

The hackathon outcomes align with Saudi Vision 2030, which aims to preserve the environment and its natural resources. It also supports the goals of the Saudi Green Initiative, which aims to enhance the quality of life and decrease carbon emissions.

The Environment Hackathon encourages the youth and supports developers to innovate in the environmental solutions sector and address environmental challenges by providing digital platforms and applications, supporting the goals of the Saudi Green Initiative, developing sustainable technology based on achieving wellness and ecological benefit, and utilizing modern and emerging technologies in the environmental field.

The Environment Hackathon witnesses the participation of professionals and enthusiasts of digital solutions and emerging and modern technologies, as it is an event that gathers environmentalists to showcase the trends, challenges, opportunities, and priorities to develop the sector.

Participants in the Saudi Environment Hackathon choose one of five tracks offered by the hackathon, which are wildlife, vegetation cover, preserving natural resources, pollution, and air. The hackathon also conducts workshops for the participants in the fields of modern and emerging technologies, as well as environmental challenges.

The hackathon tracks focus on creating solutions to address environmental issues in the Kingdom. These challenges include expanding vegetation cover in the Kingdom, increasing environmental awareness, and encouraging the contribution of individuals and entities to preserve the environment. Additionally, the hackathon aims to establish advanced communication between government entities and the community to broadcast meteorological data, forecasts, and warnings. It also seeks to monitor tree care and sustainability throughout growth stages, observe forests and pastures, promote environmental responsibility in the government and private sectors, take advantage of waste, and reduce its production.

Participants in the Environment Hackathon are subject to multiple criteria, which are: concept innovation, invention, and entrepreneurship; contribution to addressing an environmental issue, basing the idea on modern or emerging technologies; involvement in enriching environmental content; compatibility with the main environmental issues and tracks; the impact of the idea and its feasibility; and possession of a cultural and economic influence.