Applications open for Arab Youth Hackathon

The Arab Youth Hackathon is a regional initiative spearheaded by PepsiCo during COP27 in a bid to engage with young innovators to scout for sustainable solutions. The full engagement is made up of three-day hackathons across different countries in the region. It will take place through five separate national hackathons in Egypt, the UAE, Jordan, Lebanon and KSA.

The hackathon is a PepsiCo initiative, in partnership with the Arab Youth Center, the PepsiCo Foundation and Plug and Play Tech Center.

Themes

Water, Climate, Circular Economy, and Agriculture.

Program Structure

• Hackathon
  • During the Arab Youth Hackathon, teams will work intensively for three days to develop their business ideas. They will receive support from mentors and sustainability experts.
• Award Ceremony
  • The winners of the hackathon will be announced at the award ceremony. Outstanding teams will receive sponsorship to participate in the final event in Dubai.
• Final Hackathon
  • In the final stage of the hackathon, winning teams from each location will compete against each other to secure top positions. They will present their solutions to a panel of experts.

Prize Information

• Three finalists per location will qualify for the final event during COP-28 in Dubai, with the top three solutions receiving a prize from PepsiCo Foundation and incubation support from Plug and Play LLC.
• The ideation program was launched as a result of the successful Greenhouse Accelerator Program by PepsiCo, targeting entrepreneurs in later stages. PepsiCo and the Arab Youth Centre initiated the Arab Youth Hackathon #HackforChange, a regional entrepreneurial program funded by PepsiCo Foundation and implemented by Plug and Play Tech Center.
• First Prize
  • $30,000
• Second Prize
  • $20,000
• Third Prize
  • $10,000
• All prizes are in grant form to be spent in transforming the winning idea into a startup + One month online incubation by Plug and Play.

Eligibility Criteria

• To participate in the hackathon, you need to form a team of 2-3 people with at least one team member over 21 years old. All team members must be between the ages of 18 to 35. Gather with interested participants and create a diverse team with complementary skills. All participants must be nationals or residents or the country where they will apply.
• Applicants need to be passionate and knowledgeable about pressing environmental challenges and eager to come up with solutions.
• They welcome university students and early stage entrepreneurs who either are looking to ideate or have a preliminary existing idea at the testing phase, which will evolve during the hackathons.

Deadlines

Check out the application deadline of each location:

• Egypt: 9 September 2023
• UAE: 22 September 2023
• Jordan: 1 October 2023
• Lebanon: 8 October 2023
• KSA: 13 October 2023

Participant Announcement

• Participants will receive an email with the results of their application during the second week of September. Successful applicants will receive a formal invitation to participate in the event.

For more information, visit Arab Youth Hackathon.