(
MENAFN- Mid-East Info) During its participation in the Ru'ya Careers UAE 2026
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The challenge tasked high school students with building AI-powered solutions to real environmental problems.
A follow-on support track will now pair standout projects with experts, incubators, and innovation partners helping them grow from ideas into real-world impact.
Dubai, September 2026 – The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) concluded its participation in the Ru'ya Careers UAE 2026 by honouring the winning teams of the Green Innovation Challenge. Organised by the Ministry, the three-day event aimed to empower high school students to design innovative, AI-enabled solutions to tackle pressing environmental and societal challenges.
Her Excellency Dr. Amal Abdulrahim, Assistant Undersecretary for the Support Services Sector and Chief AI and Innovation Officer at MOCCAE, attended the final project presentations and the awards ceremony, held at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) from 28 to 30 September 2026.
Her Excellency Dr. Amal Abdulrahim said:“The Green Innovation Challenge reflects the Ministry's approach to engaging youth as genuine partners in building a more sustainable future, helping them move from recognising environmental challenges to solving them. Investing in youth's capabilities isn't just about preparing them for future jobs, it is about giving them the tools, expertise, and space to shape that future, connecting their scientific knowledge and creativity to national priorities in climate, food security, biodiversity, circular economy, and environmental protection.”
Her Excellency added:“Students used artificial intelligence as a tool to understand problems, analyse them, and design more efficient, applicable solutions, not as an end in itself. A distinctive part of the experience was a comprehensive development journey, testing assumptions, refining solutions, assessing expected impact, and presenting the work clearly to experts. That journey doesn't end with Ru'ya. We are now building tailored support pathways for the winning teams, connecting them with mentors, technical experts, incubators, and innovation partners, while exploring ways to develop and showcase their work through the Ministry's platforms and future events. Our goal is to turn high-potential ideas into solutions with real environmental and societal impact.”
The Green Innovation Challenge formed the central pillar of the Ministry's participation in the Ru'ya Careers UAE 2026. It targeted high school students from public and private schools across the UAE with interests in artificial intelligence, sustainability, environmental protection, food security, smart agriculture, biodiversity, circular economy, and innovation.
Five Tracks:
The challenge focused on five tracks reflecting priority areas in national environmental action, including Climate‐Smart Communities; Food Security and Smart Agriculture; Biodiversity and Ecosystem Protection; Circular Economy and Waste Reduction; and Environmental Monitoring and Awareness.
The challenge aimed to transform academic knowledge, creative ideas, school projects, and early environmental initiatives into practical, scalable proposals, while enhancing participants' skills in artificial intelligence, innovation, entrepreneurship, teamwork, problem‐solving, project pitching, and engagement with experts and evaluation panels.
The journey of the challenge began before Ru'ya Careers UAE 2026, with outreach to schools across the country and an open call for applications. It received approximately 160 applications from students at public, private and technical schools across the UAE. Submissions were assessed on the basis of their relevance to the challenge tracks, originality, use of AI, feasibility, and potential environmental and community impact. Seven projects were then selected for the three-day development programme at the exhibition and to present their solutions to the judging panel.
On the first day, teams presented their initial ideas and learned the fundamentals of building an effective project presentation. They then worked hands-on with Ministry experts and partners to sharpen their problem definitions, strengthen proposed solutions, articulate their value, and map out expected impact and implementation pathways.
Day two featured tailored mentoring sessions led by experts from the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment. Matched to each project's domain and technical needs, the sessions focused on refining solutions, assessing feasibility, and strengthening AI integration. Students also received practical guidance on presenting ideas, structuring their narratives, managing time, and responding to jury questions, supported by rehearsal simulations and direct feedback from experts.
On the final day, teams presented their projects to a panel of experts and responded to questions before solutions were evaluated against the established criteria. HE Dr. Amal Abdulrahim honoured the winners for combining innovation and technology with environmental insight, transforming initial ideas into clear, scalable proposals with potential societal and ecological impact.
Winning Projects:
First place went to 'NAWA', developed by Abdulrahman Al Awadhi, Mohammad Al Attar and Hamdan Al Awadhi of Dubai National School – Al Barsha. Their app encourages school and university students to collect recyclable materials and document them through the app in return for points, badges and rewards. It also introduces rankings for students and schools to help make recycling an engaging everyday habit.
Second place went to 'Agri-Compass', developed by Mahra Hamdan Al Qaidi and Fatima Dawood Al Qaidi of Zayed Educational Complex – Al Saf in Kalba, Sharjah. The project combines soil data, sensor readings and AI to recommend crops suited to the conditions of a farmer's land, helping farmers make more informed planting decisions.
Third place went to 'ASL', developed by Hafsah Alhashimi and Joud Almuhaidib of Deira International School. It proposes using fermentation and AI to produce protein locally for animal feed, with the aim of reducing the UAE's reliance on imported feed and strengthening food security.
The challenge provided students with practical experience simulating the key stages of solution development, from problem definition and validation, through design, testing, and prototyping, to presentation and defence before specialists. It also enabled them to connect with mentors, experts, and partners from diverse sectors, and to explore career and entrepreneurial opportunities linked to sustainability, artificial intelligence, and the green economy.
Following Ru'ya Careers UAE 2026 the Ministry is establishing a dedicated support track for the winning teams, linking selected projects with mentors, technical experts, incubators, and relevant innovation partners. It will also explore opportunities to further develop and showcase these projects through the MOCCAE platforms and future initiatives. This pathway aims to sustain the momentum generated during the challenge, assist students in advancing prototypes, testing solutions, and enhancing applicability, while fostering a culture of environmental innovation and entrepreneurship among youth and expanding their contribution to the UAE's sustainable development goals.
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