Developers sought for UAE hackathon challenge

WAM

Participants from around the world are being invited to register for the first global Spark AR Hackathon Challenge, which is being organised by Meta in collaboration with the UAE Office for Artificial Intelligence, UAE Coders HQ and the Museum of the Future.

A hackathon, also known as a codefest, is a social coding event that brings computer programmers and enthusiasts together to improve upon or build a new software programme.

Under the theme of "Tomorrow Today - What will the next decade bring?", the Spark AR hackathon is calling upon the global community of developers to showcase their creativity and innovation. Participants will be challenged to use augmented reality to identify how modern technologies can improve various sectors, such as transportation.

Two key challenges provided by Emirates Airline and Accenture will shape the hackathon. Participants will be tasked to create AR effects around the theme of "Mobility of Tomorrow" for Emirates Airline and "Opportunities of the Future" for Accenture.

The winners' creations will appear on the official social media accounts of the two companies and participants will also get a chance to win cash prizes totalling more than $50,000, in addition to attending workshops hosted by Meta to refine participants' skills in cooperation with the best-augmented reality developers worldwide.

Registration is open until June 17 with the hackathon running from then until July 1, and winners will be announced on July 7.

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