First inter-school hackathon to focus on Oman Vision 2040 challenges

MUSCAT: Oman’s first inter-school hackathon, aimed at tackling challenges linked to Oman Vision 2040, will take place on Sunday, January 25, in Muscat. The one-day event, titled Youth Innovate 2026, will be hosted by the RIPS Hack Club at Al Raneem International School in Al Amerat.
The RIPS Hack Club is a chapter of Hack Club, an international non-profit network supporting student-led coding and innovation clubs worldwide.
Youth Innovate 2026 is organised by the RIPS Hack Club and led by a student committee, with participants expected to design solutions in the form of an app, website, or game and pitch them to judges.
Speaking to the Observer, chief organiser Alisha Afaq Ali said the event is built around nationally relevant problem areas. “It’s designing solutions to local problems that we got from Oman Vision 2040”, Alisha said, adding that the themes include “promoting sustainability, youth empowerment, culture, heritage and economic growth for Oman”.
According to Alisha, the hackathon is open to students from schools across the Sultanate of Oman. “The criteria is very simple. It’s open to students across Oman, in any school across Oman”, she said, adding that it targets students from Grade 6 to 12, with possible exceptions for outstanding younger participants.
She noted that early engagement from schools has been encouraging. “We have reached out to all major schools in Oman”, Alisha said. “We have received a positive response from around eight of them currently”.
Mostafa Saudi, Head of Academics at Al Raneem International School and supervisor of the RIPS Hack Club, said the initiative reflects the school’s focus on applied learning and youth leadership.
“Youth Innovate 2026 is important because it gives young people a real platform to think critically, collaborate and design solutions to real-world challenges”, he said.
“At Al Raneem International School, we strongly believe that learning should go beyond the classroom and this event reflects that belief”, he added.
He emphasised that the hackathon is driven by students through the school’s Hack Club. “What makes Youth Innovate especially meaningful is that it is fully led by our School Hack Club students. They are the planners, organisers and visionaries behind the event, while the school provides guidance and support”, he said.
“Hosting this initiative reflects Al Raneem’s commitment to student leadership, innovation and empowering youth to take ownership of impactful projects”, he added.
The supervisor said connecting hackathon challenges to Oman Vision 2040 was a deliberate step to ensure student innovation is rooted in national priorities.
“Linking the challenges to Oman Vision 2040 was a very intentional decision”, he said. “We want students to understand that innovation is most powerful when it is rooted in national priorities and real societal needs”.
He added that working on Oman Vision 2040 linked topics helps build student awareness and purpose. “By working on challenges aligned with Oman Vision 2040, students gain a deeper sense of responsibility, civic awareness and purpose”, he said.
“They learn how their ideas, skills and creativity can contribute to Oman’s future in areas such as sustainability, technology, education and economic development”, he added. “More importantly, they begin to see themselves as active contributors, not just learners”.
Looking ahead, he said the event is expected to grow beyond its first edition. “Youth Innovate is not intended to be a one-time event. Our vision is for it to become an annual, student-led innovation platform, growing stronger each year”.
“We also hope to expand participation to include more schools across Oman, creating a wider ecosystem of young innovators who collaborate, share ideas and learn from one another”, he added.
“Ultimately, we see Youth Innovate evolving into a national model for youth-driven innovation — where students lead, schools support and ideas shape the future”, he said.
Registrations for Youth Innovate 2026 are still open. Students can register through: (https://forms.gle/3EYjE4pbjazcuaXeA).