Syrian Wins $1 Million in Arab Coders Challenge
H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Dubai Future Foundation, honoured the winners of the ‘One Million Arab Coders’ challenge, which featured a total prizemoney of US$1,350,000.
The winner, Mahmoud Shahoud, is a software engineer from Syria who developed the ‘Habit 360 application’ that helps people build new habits, track their progress and stay motivated. The application has served more than 200,000 users from around the world.
H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said on his Twitter account: "We congratulate the winner of ‘One Million Arab Coders’, Mahmoud Shahoud, the Syrian engineer, for his remarkable achievement.
"Truly deserving of the one-million-dollar prize for his project, the ‘Habit 360 application’, Shahoud is a true representation of an Arab innovator. We also congratulate all the winners and participants in the ‘One Million Arab Coders’ initiative, who have successfully employed the language of the future in developing pioneering projects that will contribute to achieving a qualitative leap in their societies."
.@HamdanMohammed honours winners of the ‘One Million Arab Coders’ Challenge. pic.twitter.com/e05LbeD7wP
— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) May 11, 2022During the ceremony, the four best trainers in ‘One Million Arab Coders’ were honoured with a prize of US$25,000 each, for their exceptional efforts in empowering the participants with knowledge and expertise and helping them bring their projects to life. The winning coaches were Abdelmoumen Boumalia from Algeria, Rasha Bahbouh from Syria, and Mustafa Abdel Fattah and Abu Bakr Farouk, both from Egypt.
The initiative was introduced with the aim of making Jordan a world leader in the field of programming. The ‘One Million Uzbek Coders’ initiative, launched through a partnership between the governments of the UAE and the Republic of Uzbekistan, was announced in November 2019, with the aim of providing Uzbek youth with an opportunity to acquire skills in programming, artificial intelligence and emerging technologies, to contribute to the development of innovative technology-based solutions and services.