Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Energy recognized six winning teams in the inaugural Energy Hackathon on 13 October 2026, during the 25th WPC Energy Congress in Riyadh. The awards covered first and second place in each of three tracks: Operational Efficiency, Transformative Innovation and Intelligent Control.

A four-week next step for the winners

The teams will now enter an intensive four-week venture-development programme designed to prepare their projects for incubators and accelerators. The next phase focuses on moving their ideas toward implementation.

According to the Saudi Press Agency, more than 6,700 competitors registered from over 40 Saudi cities, forming more than 1,200 teams. Over 35 teams comprising more than 145 innovators advanced to the bootcamp.

Host partner KAPSARC held the bootcamp from 7 to 9 October, with mentoring, workshops and discussions on the future of energy and entrepreneurship. The awards were presented during the WPC Energy Congress, which continues through 15 October.

Source: Saudi Press Agency, 13 October 2026.

Context image reused from the official Congress media library: the Riyadh Front venue, not the award ceremony. Image credit: WPC Energy Congress 2026. Congress-related media use with attribution is permitted under the official image-library terms.