Application Deadline: Varying by Country

The Arab Youth Hackathon is a three-day hackathon focused on generating business ideas to combat climate change and promote sustainability in the industry with a focus on the following themes:

Water, Climate, Circular Economy, and Agriculture

The Arab Youth Hackathon is a regional initiative spearheaded by PepsiCo during COP27 in a bid to engage with young innovators to scout for sustainable solutions.The full engagement is made up of three-day hackathons across different countries in the region. It will take place through five separate national hackathons in Egypt, the UAE, Jordan, Lebanon and KSA.

Check out the application deadline of each location:
Egypt: September 9
UAE: September 22
Jordan: October 1
Lebanon: October 8
KSA: October 13

Form Your Team

To participate in the hackathon, you need to form a team of 2-3 people with at least one team member over 21 years old. All team members must be between the ages of 18 to 35. Gather with interested participants and create a diverse team with complementary skills. All participants must be nationals or residents or the country where they will apply.

Check Your Eligibility

Applicants  need to be passionate and knowledgeable about pressing environmental challenges and eager to come up with solutions.

We welcome university students and early stage entrepreneurs who either are looking to ideate or have a preliminary existing idea at the testing phase, which will evolve during the hackathons.

Participant Announcement

Participants will receive an email with the results of their application during the second week of September. Successful applicants will receive a formal invitation to participate in the event.

Prizes

Three finalists per location will qualify for the final event during COP-28 in Dubai, with the top three solutions receiving a prize from PepsiCo Foundation and incubation support from Plug and Play LLC.

The ideation program was launched as a result of the successful Greenhouse Accelerator Program by PepsiCo, targeting entrepreneurs in later stages. PepsiCo and the Arab Youth Centre initiated the Arab Youth Hackathon #HackforChange, a regional entrepreneurial program funded by PepsiCo Foundation and implemented by Plug and Play Tech Center.

FIRST PRIZE

$30,000

In Grant form to be spent in transforming the winning idea into a startup + One month online incubation by Plug and Play

SECOND PRIZE

$20,000

In Grant form to be spent in transforming the winning idea into a startup + One month online incubation by Plug and Play

THIRD PRIZE

$10,000

In Grant form to be spent in transforming the winning idea into a startup + One month online incubation by Plug and Play

Timeline:

Hackathon

During the Arab Youth Hackathon, teams will work intensively for three days to develop their business ideas. They will receive support from mentors and sustainability experts.

Award Ceremony

The winners of the hackathon will be announced at the award ceremony. Outstanding teams will receive sponsorship to participate in the final event in Dubai.

Final Hackathon

In the final stage of the hackathon, winning teams from each location will compete against each other to secure top positions. They will present their solutions to a panel of experts.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the Arab Youth Hackathon 2023