48 hour hackathon sees 85 youths, MVR 100,000 grand prize

The Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Information and Art has begun the "Youth Hackathon" that includes 85 youths. 

The ministry stated that the 48 hour event aimed at those who have an interest in coding will submit pitches spread across four "thematic areas".

Of said submissions, there will be podium placements (first place, second place, third place) chosen. The first place winner will receive MVR 100,000. Second place winner will receive MVR 75,000, with third place receiving MVR 50,000, along with prizes gifted by sponsors as stated by the Youth Ministry.

As per the ministry, the hackathon will facilitate the solving of issues within the community with the help of technology, along with the opportunity to design new inventions for the benefit of the community.

The event will be held until tomorrow at the Youth Hub, with honorable guest Minister of Youth Empowerment, Information and Art Ibrahim Waheed (Asward) stating that the participation of many teams at this year's hackathon highlights the interest the youth has for such things.

As per the minister, the purpose of the hackathon is to meet with up-and-coming youth in the field of IT and find more paths for them. He also said that because of such an event, he will be able to see what the nation needs and see what sort of innovative solutions can be brought about.

"We are seeing a much higher turnout of teams and youth this time around compared to last year when we announced this event quite ahead of time. And so, this is showing us that the youth of Maldives have quite an interest in this," said the minister.