His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, today honoured the winners of the App Olympics at a ceremony organised by the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy at the Museum of the Future in Dubai.

Speaking on the occasion, His Highness emphasised that the foundation that Dubai has created for its continuous development and prosperity has been guided by the vision and directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

The App Olympics is part of the ‘Create Apps in Dubai’ initiative launched by HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed in March 2023, with the aim of reinforcing Dubai’s global leadership in digital technologies and the smart applications sector. The App Olympics attracted 1,100 applications, with 12 ideas being selected for the final stage of the contest.

His Highness issued directives to launch a global edition of the App Olympics, expanding the opportunity for innovators and developers of smart applications from around the world to participate in the next edition.

HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed said: “Dubai has an ambitious vision and is taking proactive steps to enhance its position as a global hub for technology innovation. The city has created an exceptional platform for attracting digital talent from around the world. Guided by the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the city serves as an inspiring role model for nurturing ideas and innovations that shape the future.”

His Highness stated: “Dubai continues to inspire the world and showcase its commitment to developing a comprehensive digital ecosystem, powered by advanced infrastructure that is capable of fostering innovative solutions to major global challenges.”

“Empowering the technology sector is an integral part of efforts to achieve the goal of the Dubai Economic AgendaD33 to establish Dubai as one of the world’s top three cities. The extensive participation of innovators and digital creatives from around the world in the App Olympics reflects Dubai’s stature as a global hub for research, innovation, and opportunity and a leading city that offers sustainable growth and ahigh quality of life.”

His Highness further said: “Dubai’s digital leadership is our top priority, and advancements in smart applications offer Dubai a new opportunity to excel on the global stage. The world’s confidence in Dubai as a hub for innovative digital ideas serves as powerful motivation to strengthen our efforts to position the emirate as a global leader in the digital economy.”

Awarding innovative ideas

HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed presented awards to the winners of the App Olympics across four categories. Following this, His Highness crowned Emudy as ‘Dubai’s App of the Year’ for its ground-breaking idea that assists students in preparing for their EmSATS exam to enter universities and apply for scholarships.

The award for the ‘Best Youth-Made App’ category was also presented to Emudy earlier in the ceremony. The award for the ‘Best Social Impact App’ was presented to The Intern, an app that connects college students with highly relevant internships as well as financial management and educational resources. Bareeq, an app that connects users with unique homemade products from their communities, received the award for the ‘Most Innovative App’ category. Takeem, an app that reduces the time, stress, and cost of long-term renting, was announced as the winner in the ‘Best Advanced App’ category.

The award ceremony was attended by His Excellency Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Digital Economy, Artificial Intelligence and Remote Work Applications, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy; His Excellency Ahmed bin Byat, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy; His Excellency Mohammad Ali Rashed Lootah, President and CEO of Dubai Chambers; His Excellency Khalfan Belhoul, CEO of the Dubai Future Foundation; Saeed Al Gergawi, Vice President of the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy; and a number of officials from the government and private sectors.

Widespread global interest

Spearheaded by the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, one of the three Chambers operating under Dubai Chambers, the App Olympics is part of the ‘Create Apps in Dubai’ initiative announced by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed.

The App Olympics received over 1,100 applications from all corners of the world, with international participants from 64 countries accounting for 30% of the entries submitted. The remaining 70% of entries were from UAE nationals and residents. A total of 247 ideas were chosen to participate in the App Olympics programme and compete across four categories, with 12 ideas selected to progress to compete in the final stage.

The education sector accounted for the largest share of ideas submitted for the App Olympics, followed by the healthcare sector. Sustainability-related ideas ranked third, with logistics services apps in fourth place.

The four winners each received a prize worth US$150,000, which includes a package of services provided by Builder.ai, a global company specialising in the development of smart application software. In addition, the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy will extend comprehensive support to the winners in launching their startup companies, including assistance with licensing and banking services and help in identifying potential partners and customers.

Reinforcing Dubai’s leadership in smart application development

The App Olympics encourages participants to showcase their ideas, with the goal of reinforcing Dubai’s leadership in developing smart applications and attracting talented individuals in this crucial sector.

Led by the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy and supported by key government entities and leading technology companies, ‘Create Apps in Dubai’ has launched a series of initiatives aimed at further strengthening the emirate’s position as a global leader in the digital domain. The initiative seeks to train over 1,000 Emiratis on the fundamentals of coding, building mobile applications, and business creation models through the Emirati Training Academy.  ‘Create Apps in Dubai’ also aims to triple the number of app developers in Dubai by 2025 and support 100 new national projects for the development of cutting-edge mobile applications.