The “Barmajan” Digital Transformation Hackathon, organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Youth, has made history by entering the Guinness World Records as the world’s longest government digital transformation hackathon and the largest multi-site hackathon lesson.
The achievement was announced in the presence of H.E. Said Saeed bin Sultan Al Busaidi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Youth for Culture; Khalil bin Salem Al Hudaifi, CEO of Government and Private Banking Services at Sohar International Bank; and Hassan bin Ali Al Ajmi, Director of Business Resilience at Nama Group. The event took place at the National Museum, with 276 participants, in addition to the second main site at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Bausher.
Sultan Al Subhi, Director of the Hackathon Project, explained that the Guinness recognition is a global acknowledgment of the Ministry’s efforts in digital transformation and also serves as a promotional tool for the government’s digital transformation plan at the ministerial level. He added that the expected impact of this achievement is international exposure and delivering positive messages on the importance of digital transformation for governments.
Through this hackathon, the Ministry seeks to deliver several key messages, most importantly that Omani youth are capable of developing innovative digital solutions for institutions, while also empowering them to unleash their creativity in the field of digital transformation. The event also aims to strengthen community engagement by involving society in designing solutions that support government institutions, in line with the Cabinet’s digital transformation plan. It further encourages both public and private institutions to accelerate their digital shift. Organizers emphasized that “Barmajan” is not just a competition, but a continuous journey from idea to final product, culminating in a closing ceremony and final presentations attended by ministry representatives and the private sector.
The hackathon also features numerous technical challenges and training workshops designed to guide participants toward achieving effective results and practical solutions that benefit both government and private institutions.
It is worth noting that “Barmajan,” which kicked off on July 21, targets developers, programmers, UX/UI designers, and business analysts, and was designed to attract a select group of developers, designers, and innovators from across Oman to deliver innovative and applicable digital solutions in the ministry’s sectors.
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