Set sail with an idea,
land with something that leaves a mark.
The first free, fully remote Arab AI hackathon: it opens with two free qualifying weeks, then turns your skills into a real project.
Official reveal · nine minutes past nine in the evening, Mecca time.
The gap is not in ideas,
but in the distance between an idea and a solution that works.
The Arab learning path usually ends at a skill: a workshop, a course, a certificate. What is missing is the challenge, the team and the deadline. SHIRAA, an initiative by EMC · Educational Mastar Central, gives you all three: free, remote, and open to anyone who builds. Every background is welcome: medicine, law, education, media and design, not only tech.
Six tracks. Where does your idea begin?
Education & Learning
How can technology and AI make learning better, easier and more interactive?
Health & Wellbeing
From awareness to care: which health problem can technology help solve?
Arabic-Language AI
AI speaks many languages. How do we make it understand the Arab user better?
Work & Digital Economy
Work is changing and so are the opportunities. Build a solution that improves work or services.
Society & Social Impact
Technology is most valuable when it creates impact that reaches people.
Open Challenge
An idea outside the lanes? The space is yours: propose an innovative fix to a real problem.
The participant journey: seven stops
Registration
Solo or as a team of 2–5
Qualifying
Two free weeks
The challenge
Pick your track
Build
Ten mentored days
Submission
Prototype and pitch
The final
Before the jury
Incubation
Eight weeks
Prizes, and what lies beyond them
Ten winning places, not three.
A total of $5,000 is distributed across the top ten in descending order.
- Rank 11st place$1,200
- Rank 22nd place$900
- Rank 33rd place$700
- Rank 44th place$500
- Rank 55th place$400
- Rank 66th place$350
- Rank 77th place$300
- Rank 88th place$250
- Rank 99th place$220
- Rank 1010th place$180
Our founding academic partners
Universities that believe their students deserve an Arab platform, and the door is still open.
جامعة الرازي
Al-Razi University
جامعة السعيد
Al-Saeed University
جامعة المستقبل
Future University
جامعة العلوم الحديثة
University of Modern SciencesYour university or organisation next?
Partnership carries no financial commitment and no organisational burden. Companies, government bodies, technology, media and talent partners are all welcome.
Join the waiting list
Register your interest now: you hear first when registration opens, and the prep kit comes free.
What happens after you register?
An organisation looking to partner?
Write to us and we send the partnership and sponsorship pack within one working day.
info@edumc.nlFrequently asked questions
Is participation really free?
Yes, entirely free: registration, the qualifying phase, the tools and the certificate. No fees at any stage.
Do I need prior AI experience?
No. Two free qualifying weeks precede the challenge, starting from the basics and open to every registrant. Every background is welcome: medicine, law, education, media and design, not only tech.
I'm on my own with no team. Can I still register?
Yes. Register individually and you'll be placed in the team-formation space, where we help you join a team that needs your skills.
Do I need to travel or attend somewhere?
No. The initiative runs fully remotely, from registration to the final pitch.
Which language is used?
Arabic is the language of training and communication; projects and pitches may be submitted in Arabic or English.
What do I need to take part?
A computer, an internet connection, and commitment to the schedule. That is the only real requirement.