US$1 million up for grabs in the largest coding challenge of its kind

Dubai Future Foundation (DFF) announced recently the opening of submissions for the One Million Arab Coders Challenge, inviting the initiative’s graduates from all over the world to submit their innovative projects for a chance to win prizes worth more than US$1 million.

Coders can submit their projects – websites or apps – based on the skills they acquired during their participation in the largest initiative of its kind in the world via arabcoders.ae until October 30, 2021. The submitted projects must be complete and ready for use.

A jury comprising experts in coding, technology, and entrepreneurship from the UAE and abroad will select the 20 best projects to qualify for the finals and compete for the grand prize of US$1 million. Five runners-up will receive US$50,000 each. In addition, the four best tutors  will win US$25,000 each. Winners of the One Million Arab Coders Challenge will be announced during Expo 2020 Dubai.

Khalfan Belhoul, CEO of DFF, said: “The One Million Arab Coders has achieved its goal of equipping one million young Arabs from 80 countries with coding skills in line with the needs of the job market. The initiative reflects the belief of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in the ability of young Arabs to play a key role in the future development of their countries.”

He added: “The One Million Arab Coders Challenge provides a global platform to showcase their proficiency in coding – the language of the future, encouraging them to turn their ideas into technological projects that contribute to society, and engaging them in building a prosperous future.”

Launched in October 2017 as part of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI), the One Million Arab Coders announced its conclusion in April 2021. The program provided an opportunity for young Arab talents to learn a wide variety of coding skills and apply them in website and mobile application development, blockchain, artificial intelligence, and data and cloud computing.

The coders clocked in five million training hours, participated in 76,000 workshops, and completed 100,000 successful graduation projects. The initiative has also awarded over 1,000 nano-degree scholarships to distinguished students. More than 3,600 certified trainers from around the world were at hand to help the participants with the technical aspects and provide support in turning their innovative ideas into complete projects.

Also read: H.H Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid commends successful completion of One Million Arab Coders Initiative, launches US$1million Coding Challenge, here.