SHARJAH, 30th October, 2026 (WAM) -- 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 competitions include the AI Skills Challenge (AISC), organised in collaboration with the Rubu’ Qarn Centre for Science and Technology, and the University Challenge, held in collaboration with United Arab Emirates University (UAEU).
Winners will be honoured at the awards ceremony on Monday, 2nd November.
The AISC began on Wednesday, 28th October, while the fifth University Challenge runs from Saturday, 31st October, to Sunday, 1st November. Organised by the Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGMB), both competitions aim to empower school and university students to develop innovative solutions to community challenges and advance government communication.
Alya Al Suwaidi, Director of SGMB, said, “Advancing government communication goes beyond adopting modern technologies. It requires using them to understand community needs and deliver more efficient and effective solutions. Through these two challenges, we aim to give young people the opportunity to test and develop their ideas, improve service quality and strengthen institutional communication.”
Five projects qualified for the AISC finals from eight presented at the closing showcase of a training programme held from 8th to 29th August. The programme was organised by the Rubu’ Qarn Centre for Science and Technology in collaboration with SGCA.
Targeting secondary school and university students, the 16-day programme featured 14 practical sessions focused on developing AI-powered solutions across five areas: public health, education, environmental transformation, the green economy and food security.
In public health, “Shaheen” introduces an AI-powered drone that detects toxic gases, monitors temperatures and locates trapped individuals, helping rescue teams assess risks before entering affected areas.
“Rasd” monitors drainage networks, predicts flood risks and identifies areas requiring early intervention, while “Shurooq” brings together official notifications, available opportunities and children’s achievement records on a unified AI-powered platform.
“Sprout” predicts which fresh food products in retail outlets are at risk of going to waste and recommends timely action. Meanwhile, “Nabta” connects government entities with farmers, converting documented plant images into data to support agricultural production monitoring.
The five finalist teams developed their projects at Al Majaz Amphitheatre on 28th and 29th October, ahead of presentations to the judging panel on 1st November.
Jassem Albloushi, Member of the Board of Trustees of the Rubu’ Qarn Foundation for Creating Leaders and Innovators, said, “At Rubu’ Qarn, we are committed to providing a supportive environment and meaningful opportunities for young people to discover and develop their potential. The AISC encourages them to use technology responsibly to serve their communities and create a positive impact.”
The fifth University Challenge brings together 21 projects from 17 universities, with nine projects from nine international universities and 12 projects from eight UAE universities.
International participants include Kuwait University, Morocco’s Ibn Zohr University, the University of Jordan, Universiti Sains Malaysia, South Korea’s Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Myanmar’s University of Yangon, Azerbaijan’s Baku Engineering University, the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay and Senegal’s Gaston Berger University.
The UAE universities are United Arab Emirates University, Mohamed Bin Zayed University for Humanities, the University of Sharjah, Abu Dhabi University, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Al Ain University, Ajman University and the American University of Sharjah.
A specialised judging panel will assess the projects based on their use of modern technologies, quality of planning and implementation, expected outcomes and potential impact.