Saudi Arabia Sets Record for Largest Digital Solutions Hackathon

Saudi Arabia has set a new Guinness World Record after hosting the world’s largest digital solutions hackathon, with 2,059 participants taking part in the Absher Tuwaiq Hackathon in Riyadh. The three-day event ran from December 11th to December 13th, 2025, and was organised by the Ministry of Interior in partnership with Tuwaiq Academy.

Guinness World Records confirmed the event as the “largest digital solutions hackathon,” with more than 4,100 registered participants collaborating on over 2,000 technology projects. The competition awarded first place to team ‘The Shadow,’ which received a prize of SAR 250,000. Second place went to ‘Ikhlaa’ (Evacuation), which received SAR 150,000, while ‘Tanbah’ (Alert) placed third with SAR 100,000. Additional teams including HRS, Wathiq and Wusool were awarded a combined SAR 450,000 in funding from the National Technology Development Program to further develop their project ideas.

During the event, the Ministry of Interior announced several new digital initiatives, including the Absher Assistant, designed to help users navigate government services, and the Midan Al-Shamel platform, aimed at unifying field operations. Other initiatives highlighted included Secure Communications, Talk with Your Data, and a Central Reports Database. The ministry also signed a cooperation agreement with Humain, the Saudi state-backed artificial intelligence company launched in May 2025.

Tuwaiq Academy, Saudi Arabia’s national centre for advanced technology training, participated in the hackathon with a focus on talent development and technology education. Since its launch in August 2019, the academy has graduated more than 35,000 students across fields such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, cybersecurity and drones. According to the academy, more than 80% of its boot camp graduates secure employment within three months.