COVID-19 has further changed our world and brought about new challenges to an already-troubled region, namely the Arab World. However, many agree that the COVID pandemic has been a wake-up call and has presented new opportunities to design a better world than what we had before. This hackathon, the first regional endeavor of its kind to address this global challenge, provides a space for young change-makers to innovate and prepare for a post-COVID world through collaboration and reinventing a sustainable future.

Riyada for Social Innovation SAL in partnership with the UNDP Arab States Regional Bureau and Global Transformation Corps are proud to present "Design the Future: Post-COVID Hackathon" Virtual Regional Hackathon for social innovators and change-maker individuals aged 19-29 who can understand and speak English from Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Qatar with the flexibility to accept applications from other Arab countries too.

The 2.5-day hackathon will take place over the weekend of November 19-20-21 and will accommodate for around 200 participants. The participating teams will be pitching their solutions at the end of the hackathon to a panel of esteemed international jury members and compete over valuable awards including internships and professional development opportunities. All individuals who complete the hackathon will be awarded certificates of participation.

The hackathon aims to bring capacity to emerging leaders in the Arab world and prompt them to come up with innovative solutions that address the Arab world's post-COVID needs with an emphasis on more humane, peaceful, and prosperous communities. Teams that will present the most innovative, feasible, impactful and sustainable solutions will be recognized as hackathon winners and will be granted access to a global network of experts who will help them advance their ideas.

Based on our responsibility towards the Arab region in combatting COVID-19 and its effects as well as the effects of war and conflict and our commitment to better equip the Arab youth with leadership, entrepreneurship, and innovation skills that help them create a positive change in their societies, we provide this opportunity for social innovators to engage in an intensive hands-on experience where they will have the chance to sharpen their entrepreneurship and technical skills by creating effective and sustainable solutions to various aspects of the problems at hand.
"The New Normal has become politics without principles, business without morality, science without humanity, technology without ethics, and knowledge without character. We are surrounded with inequality and mistrust for our leaders and institutions. We have become tribal in our many battles for personal gain. Our governing values are compromised by money, corruption, and greed. If you are upset, dissatisfied with the world as is, we challenge you to see the world as it could be and join us to transform it." (Empower Us, Ira Kaufmann and Velimir Srića, www.empowerus.world)

The weekend hackathon will provide a unique opportunity for innovators, aspiring entrepreneurs, and changemakers to spend a weekend of their time looking at effective solutions related to specific problems related to peacebuilding, reconstruction, and stabilization (Check framework below in the application) as well as post-COVID needs of a more humane world. Participants will work in preferably inter-disciplinary teams that have complementary skills such as technical skills, design skills, business and entrepreneurship skills and public speaking skills to name a few.

Fill in the form below before November 14, 2020, to participate in the hackathon.

***You can apply as an individual or as a team. Each member in the team must submit a separate application form.***
As an individual, you will be teamed up with other individual applicants from diverse backgrounds, complementary skills, and similar interests.

If you have any questions you can send an email to postcovidhack@riyadainnovation.com

Preliminary Schedule (Timezone = GMT+2) :

Thursday, November 19, 2020

Hackathon launches at 7 pm GMT+2
19:00 – 19:20 Opening words from organizers and partners
19:20 – 20:20 Setting the foundation (themes of the hackathon)
20:20 – 20:30 Break
20:30 – 22:00 Team formation and problem brainstorming
22:00 – Open (Organizers leave, and teams can continue working at their own discretion)

Friday, November 20, 2020

Hackathon starts at 9 am GMT+2

09:00 – 13:00 Teams start working (observers can leave for Friday prayer)
13:00 – 14:00 Lunch Break
14:00 – 15:00 The Lean Canvas Model (Mona Itani)
15:00 – 18:00 International Mentors circulate (booking is first-come-first-served)
18:00 – 19:00 Teams discuss on their own or take a break
19:00 – 22:00 International Mentors circulate (booking is first-come-first-served)
22:00 – Open (Organizers leave, and teams can continue working at their own discretion)

Saturday, November 21, 2020

09:00 – 10:00 Team Breakout rooms open for all teams
10:00 – 11:00 Pitching basics (Mona Itani)
11:00 – 13:00 Mentors circulate (booking is first-come-first-served)
13:00 – 14:00 Lunch Break

14:00 Submission of Pitch decks

14:00 – 15:00 Pitching Rehearsals
15:00 – 17:00 Pitching (in 2 parallel sessions)
17:00 – 18:00 Wrap-up and announcing the winners

Location: Remote via ZOOM

Refugees who are eligible according to the above criteria are welcome to apply