“Challenge ME!” An Internet of Things Competition for MENA region by Intel

Under the patronage of His Excellency the Lebanese Minister of Telecommunications, Boutros Harb, the final award ceremony of “Challenge ME!” an Internet of Things (IoT) Competition took place yesterday. The competition featured the participation of 70 projects from different Arab countries. The 19-member jury committee announced the top three winners from the 16 projects finalists. The project “Load Me” from United Arab Emirates won the first prize, where project “UB Card” from Palestine won the second prize, and the third prize went to Project “Portable Neck Treatment Device” from Jordan. 

“Challenge ME!” is an IoT Competition, held for the first time in the MENA region led by Intel Corporation and in cooperation with several educational institutions, non-governmental organizations, private sector and business incubators from all across the Middle East. The final stage of the competition was held in Beirut during an extensive three-day workshops and training to improve the efficiency of the participating projects and help them achieve future success in their endeavors. 

The Minister of Telecommunications, Boutros Harb, stated: “It is a pleasure to host in Beirut, for the first time, Intel "Challenge Me!", both the organizers and the new generation participants who enjoy the passion and skills to utilize technology, offering solutions that enrich our lives. Intel is multinational leading company and they always choosing the best. I am confident that all of the ideas and projects participating in this competition has a unique value and I encourage them all to continue their journey to reach a global success. The Internet of Things technology promises a brilliant tomorrow for humanity and connecting people.”

“We would like to congratulate the winning projects for taking their first step on the path of success. In addition, we would like to congratulate our partners for the success of this competition to motivate and support talented youth, who have developed different innovative ideas, providing them with the opportunity to enter the world of entrepreneurship. Our support to Intel “Challenge ME!” is part of our Intel Innovation Initiative- INARA and which is part of our commitment to the region in inspiring the next generation of Arab innovators and fostering the growth of knowledgebase economy in the region.” said Eng. Taha Khalifa, Regional Director of Intel MENA.

Ooredoo Algeria joined Intel as a strategic partner in the competition. This competition was supported by several business incubators in the region, such as GLOW, Oobarmijoo, Oasis500, Berytech, TIEC, Esprit, and Intel IoT Lab. Several educational institutions and Arab universities promoted the competition among their students, such the Nile University, King Fahd University for Petroleum and Metals, American Arab University in Jenin, Birzeit University, Palestine Technical University, Palestine Polytechnic University, Sacred Heart University, and Petra University. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in the MENA region also participated in the competition. 

The competition finals took place in Berytech in Beirut, where participants presented their final projects in a three minutes pitch before the Jury and answered their questions. His Excellency the Lebanese Minister of Telecommunications addressed the audience with his keynote followed by the announcement of the winning projects and the awarding of the top three winners.

The competition awarded the winners with USD 15000, divided on the first three winners. The first place with USD 7500 and the second place with USD 5000, and the third place with USD 2500, In addition to a special award to the best project developed using Intel electronic boards. In addition, both the first and second winners will have the opportunity to participate at “Intel Challenge Up!” Finals taking place in London, UK. An additional award by Intel offered to two of the participating projects to visit Intel IoT Ignition Lab in Dubai, UAE to enroll in an extensive technology-training program. The partners have presented other valuable awards to the winning projects.