Shaping the Future of Media

The 2021 KAUST Challenge crowdsourced innovative ideas from more than 600 proposals

In October 2021, KAUST brought together companies and creative innovators from around the world to participate in the 2021 KAUST Challenge, an event that focused on shaping the future of media. It attracted more than 600 proposals from 37 countries, coming from innovative enterprises that aim to solve the most pressing challenges facing media systems. Saudi Arabia had a strong showing, taking seven of the 15 finalist slots. The overall winner was from the UK, while Saudi companies took second and third place. The KAUST Challenge was created to encourage local and international talent to crowdsource ideas and solutions, advancing the country’s national priorities and supporting Vision 2030.

Following the success of the inaugural edition of the KAUST Challenge to crowdsource ideas for the Hajj and Umrah in 2020, the university launched a new challenge in 2021, titled “Shaping the Future of Media.” This second edition of the KAUST Challenge, held in partnership with the Asbar World Forum, aimed to identify innovative solutions to the Saudi media ecosystem’s most pressing needs. It sought to jumpstart the nascent culture and entertainment industry, as well as catalyze research, innovation, economic development and social prosperity. “We are glad to partner with KAUST on such an important and strategic initiative that aims to transform the Kingdom into a globally competitive ICT hub, with modern technologies and an empowered information society,” said Dr. Fahad Al-Orabi Al-Harthi, chairman of the Board of Directors for the Asbar World Forum.

Proposals for the 2021 challenge were rooted in 13 key themes: content filtering, e-games, data privacy and security, ecosystem support, content

SAUDI PRESS ASSOCIATION

“The KAUST Challenge is an important outlet for innovation and creative talent in support of Vision 2030. The 2021 challenge helps to encourage a new generation of creative media professionals who can make an impact on the development of the Kingdom’s media industry.”

Dr. Fahd bin Hassan Al-Aqran, President of the Saudi Press Association DR. NAJAH ASHRY Vice President for Strategic National Advancement

KAUST CHALLENGE HAS PROVEN TO BE IMMENSELY SUCCESSFUL IN GENERATING FRESH AND INNOVATIVE IDEAS, COMPLEMENTING OUR EFFORT TO MAXIMIZE KAUST’S CONTRIBUTION TO THE ECONOMIC DIVERSIFICATION OF THE KINGDOM AND ITS TRANSFORMATION TO A KNOWLEDGE-BASED ECONOMY.

protection, inclusiveness and accessibility, content creation, content distribution, insights and analytics, media localization, regulatory barriers, content noise and setting idealistic standards. The Acting Governor of Riyadh, HRH Prince Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz, presided over the award ceremony. The overall winner of the event and recipient of the SAR300,000 prize was Factmata, a UK-based software company that uses artificial intelligence to identify harmful online content and topic clustering. The runner-up was Gharbel, a Saudi firm that developed a tool for spam detection and noise elimination to create a smooth social networking experience. In third place was Sahafa, also from the Kingdom, which developed technology to help journalists write and monetize content based on accurate information. Each received a SAR37,500 prize, and will benefit from expertise, mentorship and tailored support from leading global and local stakeholders in the entrepreneurship ecosystem.

In line with KAUST’s commitment to bolstering research and development, KAUST Challenge teamed up with a consortium of prestigious strategic partners and sponsors, including the Ministry of Investment, the Saudi Press Agency, Facebook, Microsoft, Google, STC and Riyad Bank.