Digital Innovation Award - 2nd Edition

Our Programs

Competition
Digital Innovation Award

Today’s Innovators Are Future Makers

(Hybrid) Physical & Virtual

Registration Ended on Thursday, November 10th, 2022

about
The Award

The award aims to enrich the culture of digital innovation and R&D by motivating digital researchers and digital patent holders to develop new innovation and entrepreneurship capabilities, as well as commercializing and launching promising ideas into the market and providing them with needed technical and business support, to help achieve the Kingdom's 2030 Vision of building a digital society.

Targeted Participants
teamwork
Researchers & Inventors
students
University Students
entrepreneur
Entrepreneurs
Award Goals
icon1
Building Digital MVPs
icon2
Commercializing Digital Innovations
icon3
Building Digital Capabilities
Award Features
45
Training Hours
480
Mentorship Hours
8
Elite International & Local Field Experts
500
K
SAR Value of Digital enabling incentives
30
Digital Research & Patent Development
Digital Innovation Award Journey
01

September 15th, 2022

Registration Opens
02

November 10th, 2022

Registration Closes
03
Filtration
04
Qualified Participants Announcement
05

November 27th, 2022

Kickoff Day (hybrid)
06

November 28th, 2022 – December 22nd, 2022

Bootcamp (virtual)

1 month duration

07

December 29th, 2022

Demo Day (hybrid)
08

TBA

Finalists Announcement
09

TBA

Award Ceremony and Winners Announcement
Bootcamp

Training the qualified projects from both tracks for a month during which work is done by the participants to enable them to transform their projects into successful entrepreneurial digital business models that can be commercialized.

Demo Day

All qualified participants from both tracks present their projects professionally to the judges’ panel and accordingly the projects are evaluated and the finalists are selected to proceed to the last stage through which the winners will be announced.

Demo Day Video
Interviews with projects from both tracks
Award Features
learning
45 Training Hours
teacher
480 Mentorship Hours
expert
Elite International & Local Field Experts
trophy
Digital enabling incentives, with a total value of 500,000 SAR
idea
Digital Innovations Commercialization
search
Digital Research Development
Eligibility Criteria
Age

Participants must be at least 18 years old.

Residence

Participants must be citizens or residents of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Team

The research team should consist of at least two members, out of which one should be a Saudi national.

Clarity & Relevance

Research and patents should be well-detailed, specialized in the field of communication & information technology, and relevant to the nature of the award and its targeted industries.

Innovation

Research and patents should be innovative and based on smart technical ideas that can be applicable.

Scalability

Research and patents should be scalable and commercialize-able and can be prototyped, it should address and solves existing market problems and needs (Accepted research date starting from 2018).

Intellectual Rights

Research and patents must be solely owned by the participants and not looted or owned by another party and should not be previously commercialized. Moreover, research and patents must be originated from a university or accredited research institutes (patents are required to be registered in the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property and attach the registration details in the registration form).

Digital Empowerment Awards for both tracks

Digital Innovation Award winning teams will receive digital enabling incentives with a total value of 500,000 Saudi Riyals which will be employed according to the projects needs and the winning place for both tracks.

prizes
prizes
Digital Research
prize
80,000 SAR

FIRST PLACE

silver
60,000 SAR

SECOND PLACE

prize
50,000 SAR

THIRD PLACE

prize
40,000 SAR

FOURTH PLACE

prize
20,000 SAR

FIFTH PLACE

Digital Patent
Prize
80,000 SAR

FIRST PLACE

Prize
60,000 SAR

SECOND PLACE

Prize
50,000 SAR

THIRD PLACE

Prize
40,000 SAR

FOURTH PLACE

award
20,000 SAR

FIFTH PLACE

FAQs

The award consists of two tracks: the digital research track and the digital patent track.

The Digital Research track is a track for holders of research in the field of communications and information technology that solves a current problem in the market and can be prototyped. Research should be attributed to one of the university levels (Bachelor, Master, PhD) or accredited research institutions.

The Digital Patent track is a track for patent holders in the field of communications and information technology whom carry a registered certification from the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property. The patent holder solves an existing problem in the market that can be prototyped.

Yes, you can participate with more than one digital research or patent, however, a separate application must be submitted for each research or patent.

You can participate in Arabic or English.

The bootcamp starts on November 28th – December 22nd, 2022 and is held virtually for a month for both tracks.

The Digital Innovation Award is distinguished for innovators and technology pioneers, as participants will be trained and mentored by elite international & local field experts. In addition, the winning teams will be granted as digital enabling incentives with a total value of 500,000 Saudi Riyals, which will be employed according to the projects needs and winning place from both tracks.

The bootcamp is held fully virtually for both tracks except for the Kickoff Day and Demo Day as they will be hybrid events. Attendance for the Kickoff Day and Demo Day is mandatory for participants within the city of Riyadh, and optional for participants from outside the city of Riyadh, as it will be held virtually for participants who are not in the city of Riyadh. 

The kickoff day is the launch of the bootcamp, which will be held physically for qualified projects from both tracks for one day only. Attendance is mandatory for participants within the city of Riyadh, and optional for participants from outside the city of Riyadh, as it will be held virtually for participants who are not in the city of Riyadh. 

On the Demo Day, participants present their projects professionally to the judges’ panel, either in-person or virtually. Accordingly, the projects are evaluated based on specific criteria, and the finalists are selected to proceed to the last stage. Attendance is mandatory for participants within the city of Riyadh, and optional for participants from outside the city of Riyadh, as it will be held virtually for participants who are not in the city of Riyadh. 

The registration starts on September 15th and ends on November 10th, 2022.

The registration form is filled by one of the team members and it must include the names of all team members.

No, the winning teams in the Digital Innovation Award will receive digital empowerment prizes worth 500,000 Saudi riyals, which will be used as digital incentives for the winners according to the positions and project needs of both tracks.

Research and patents must be solely owned by the participants and not looted or owned by another party.

Yes, however you must provide an approval letter from your legal guardian if you are under 18.

Digital researches and patents should be well detailed, specialized in the field of communication & information technology, and relevant to the nature of the award.

After your application has been successfully submitted, you will receive a message of either rejection or acceptance.

Digital Research Track Champions 2021
smart-tap
1st Place

Smart-Tap

prize
2nd Place

Ramaq

businessgo
3rd Place

BusinessGo

mushir
4th Place

Mushir

serene
5th Place

Serene

Digital Patent Track Champions 2021
safepay
1st Place

Safe Pay

spectrago
2nd Place

Spectrago

تحقق
3rd Place

تحقق

RA
4th Place

Retrodirective Antenna

masscot
5th Place

Masscot

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