Sharjah:Al Majaz Amphitheatre in Sharjah is hosting the 'Best Innovators Competition in Smart Communication' as part of the 13th Sharjah Government Communication Award (SGCA 2026). The event includes two major competitions the AI Skills Challenge (AISC) and the University Challenge, aimed at empowering students to develop innovative solutions to community challenges.
According to Wam, the AI Skills Challenge is organized in collaboration with the Rubu' Qarn Centre for Science and Technology, and the University Challenge is orchestrated alongside United Arab Emirates University (UAEU). The competitions are designed to advance government communication by integrating modern technologies to address community needs effectively.
The AISC began on Wednesday, 28th October, and the University Challenge is scheduled from Saturday, 31st October, to Sunday, 1st November. Both competitions are organized by the Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGMB) and focus on empowering students to innovate in public health, education, environmental transformation, the green economy, and food security.
Alya Al Suwaidi, Director of SGMB, emphasized the importance of using modern technologies to understand and address community needs efficiently. The competitions offer young people the platform to test and develop their ideas, thereby enhancing service quality and strengthening institutional communication.
In the AISC, five projects have qualified for the finals, including 'Shaheen,' an AI-powered drone for public health, and 'Rasd,' a system for monitoring drainage networks. Other projects include 'Shurooq,' a unified platform for educational records, 'Sprout,' a predictive tool for food waste in retail, and 'Nabta,' a data conversion tool for agricultural monitoring.
The University Challenge has attracted 21 projects from 17 universities, including participants from Kuwait University, Morocco's Ibn Zohr University, the University of Jordan, and several UAE universities. A specialized judging panel will evaluate the projects based on technological use, planning quality, and potential impact. Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on Monday, 2nd November.