Doha: The Ministry of Sports and Youth (MSY), in collaboration with the National Planning Council's National Statistics Center (NSC) and GCC-Stat, organized Saturday a recognition ceremony for the winners of the first Youth Creativity Award in the World of Data. The event marked the celebration of Gulf Youth Day, as well as the recognition of the panel overseeing the award, alongside members of the judging panel.
According to Qatar News Agency, the ceremony was attended by key figures such as HE Secretary-General of the National Planning Council Dr. Abdulaziz bin Nasser bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, HE Undersecretary of the Ministry of Sports and Youth Engineer Yasser bin Abdullah Al Jamal, and HE Assistant Secretary-General for Economic and Development Affairs at the General Secretariat of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Khalid bin Ali bin Salem Al Sunaidi. Officials, experts, and specialists in data, AI, and statistics were also present.
The award's first track, Statistical Analysis and Data Visualization, was won by Abdullah Mohammed Al Haddad of Qatar for his project, "The Buffer and the Burden." Khulood Mishari Al Ajmi of Kuwait took second place with "Malath Pro," while Ruqayyah bint Mohammed Al Khaifiyah of Oman secured third place with "Skills Compass."
In the Open Data-Based Solutions track, Nasser bin Saeed Al Shukaili of Oman claimed first place with "STEP," followed by Mujahid bin Mohammed Al Suwaiti of Oman with "Orca" in second place, and Nawaf bin Saud Al Rashdi of Oman with "RealTime Dashboard Report" in third place.
The AI Applications track saw Mohammed bin Khamis Al Farsi of Oman win first place for "One Stop Intelligence." Qatari Abdulaziz Mohammed Al Harqan took second with "Gulf Career Compass," and Noura Hamad Al Hajri of Qatar came third with "Statistical Analysis of Trends and Preferences of Students in the GCC Countries Toward Career Pathways and Academic Majors in Light of the Objectives of Vision 2030."
In the Data Foresight and Predictive Models track, Saudi Atheer bint Abdullah Al Harbi won first place for "Maeesh Tech." Omani Amna bint Saif Al Raisi took second with "Riwaa," while Shamsa Mohammed Al Mheiri of the United Arab Emirates secured third place with "AI Agent."
The award aims to empower Gulf youth and enhance their participation in data and emerging technologies. It encourages the development of innovative solutions contributing to sustainable development and data-driven decision-making amid the region's digital evolution.
Open to Gulf youth aged 18 to 34, the contest attracted high-quality entries, showcasing the Gulf's growing interest in the digital economy and investment in youth capabilities across future-oriented sectors.
Dr. Al Khalifa emphasized the importance of data in creating a powerful and prosperous future, underscoring the National Planning Council's commitment to advancing national data and supporting decision-making processes.
Al Jamal congratulated the winners, noting their breakthroughs in leveraging data and cutting-edge technologies to benefit their societies and support the knowledge-based economy.
Ahmed Hassan Al Obaidly, Director-General of the National Statistics Center, highlighted the award as a platform for investing in youth capabilities, directing them toward future fields, and supporting planning and policymaking.
HE Director General of GCC-Stat, Intisar bint Abdullah Al Wuhaibiyah, expressed satisfaction with the award's success, citing it as a key initiative in engaging young people in statistics, data, and AI.
Ibrahim Hamad Al Mohannadi, Director of the Social and Environmental Statistics Department at Qatar's National Planning Council, emphasized the award's role in allowing youth to showcase innovative solutions relevant to community issues.
Dr. Ali Al Kubaisi noted the impressive results achieved by Gulf youth in harnessing AI and open data, reflecting the award's success in encouraging innovative solutions for public policy support and sustainable development.
The award aims to support Gulf integration in data, information, and AI fields, encouraging young people to develop innovative solutions, highlighting successful youth models, and raising awareness of the importance of data and statistics in supporting development and public policymaking.