Saudi to host Middle East’s biggest "Hajj Hackathon" next month

The Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones has commenced registration for "Hajj Hackathon” - the biggest-ever hackathon event held in the Middle East, state-owned Saudi Press Agency reported.

The event, which will take place in Jeddah in August, will attract more than 3,000 leading programers from around the world who will innovatively leverage technology to enrich and enhance the Hajj experience for pilgrims.

The initiative is one of the Kingdom’s many efforts under Saudi Vision 2030 to provide the nation’s youth opportunities to become global leaders in technological development.

The hackathon will offer SAR 2 million in prizes to the top three participants to help them transform their ideas into businesses. Google will offer mentorship and training for participants of the Hackathon, the statement added.