Winner of One Million Arab Coders $1m challenge to be announced this week

The initiative was launched in 2017 to equip a million young people with the skills needed to succeed in the 21st century

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, launched the One Million Arab Coders programme in 2017. Photo: Ministry of Cabinet Affairs and The Future

The winner of the One Million Arab Coders challenge will be announced this week, organisers revealed on Sunday.

Six software projects developed by Arab youth from around the world, using skills acquired on the One Million Arab Coders initiative, are competing for the grand prize of $1 million for the most innovative coding project.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, in July invited graduates of the initiative to take part in the challenge.

Five runners-up will receive $50,000 each and the four best trainers will win $25,000 each.

The entries have been evaluated by a jury of experts in coding, technology and entrepreneurship from the UAE and abroad.

Led by Dubai Future Foundation, One Million Arab Coders was launched in 2017 by Sheikh Mohammed to equip a million young people with the skills needed to succeed in the 21st century.

Sheikh Mohammed said at the time that the initiative aimed “to empower Arab youth with modern technology and its basic tool, which is programming, the language of the modern age.”

It brought together experienced trainers in software sciences and advanced technologies in the world to train participants for free from about 80 countries who have completed five million hours of study and work, 76,000 training workshops and 100,000 capstone projects.

Three years later, Sheikh Mohammed announced a new challenge for One Million Arab Coders graduates to compete for the title of Top Coder in the Arab world.

“The future is full of endless opportunities awaiting disruptive ideas,” he said.

“The One Million Arab Coders challenge opens its doors and welcomes talents who seek to jump on the digital transformation wave to push their boundaries by developing themselves further, and actively developing their nation’s digital economy as a whole.”

In July, the UAE signed a deal with a host of technology giants, including Google and Amazon, to train 100,000 young people in computer programming.

Sheikh Mohammed said that within five years he wants to train 100,000 programmers and coders, create 1,000 digital companies to boost the Emirati economy and increase government support for start-ups from Dh1.5 billion ($408.4 million) to Dh4bn.