Amman, April 21 (Petra) – The "Nahno" platform, the national volunteering platform under the Crown Prince Foundation, announced on Tuesday the winners of the Youth Hackathon for Innovation in Water Conservation and Waste Management 2026, coinciding with World Creativity and Innovation Day, during an event held at the foundation’s headquarters in Amman.

The announcement concluded a national hackathon launched in March in cooperation with UNICEF and the Ministry of Youth, aimed at fostering youth-led innovation in addressing water conservation and waste management challenges, and encouraging the development of practical, locally relevant solutions. The initiative also sought to strengthen youth engagement through digital platforms and expand collaboration between young people and partner institutions.

Targeting participants aged 15 to 35, the hackathon was conducted fully online to ensure nationwide participation across all governorates, promote environmental sustainability, and encourage the use of digital tools in designing innovative solutions.

According to a statement issued by the foundation, the competition received 187 submissions, which underwent a multi-stage evaluation process, including an initial technical screening by the Nahno platform team. A total of 33 projects advanced to the final stage.

The statement added that the final evaluation was carried out by two specialized judging panels in the fields of water conservation and waste management, based on criteria including relevance to environmental challenges, innovation, feasibility, originality, contextual relevance, and anticipated impact. Seven projects were selected as winners.

Deputy Executive Director and Director of Programs and Performance Excellence at the Crown Prince Foundation, Najoud Sarhan, said the initiatives reflect youth capacity to generate practical solutions to environmental challenges, noting that they align with the foundation’s approach to empowering young people as active partners in development.

Sarhan added that the seven winning projects will receive direct support from the Youth Activities Support Fund of the Nahno platform to assist in implementation. She also noted that the 33 finalists will have the opportunity to engage directly with judges to further develop their projects.

She added that the remaining submissions, out of a total of 187, will be eligible to apply for support through the fund via the Nahno platform, subject to evaluation criteria including implementation plans and expected social and environmental impact.

She expressed appreciation to the judging panels and partner institutions, including UNICEF, the Ministry of Youth, the Ministry of Water and Irrigation, the Ministry of Local Administration, Greater Amman Municipality, Miyahuna Water Company, and the Zaha Cultural Center.

//Petra// AJ

21/04/2026 15:09:50