Salalah: The winning teams of the Salalah Artificial Intelligence Hackathon 2026 were announced today in Dhofar Governorate, with the “Wafeer” team securing first place for developing a smart platform aimed at supporting the fisheries sector.
The hackathon was organized by the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority in cooperation with Oman Telecommunications Company (Omantel), with the participation of 60 participants representing 22 teams.
The Wafeer team’s winning platform connects fishermen directly with customers and markets, providing a digital solution designed to support the development of the fisheries sector.
The “Flow” team secured second place for developing a smart solution for the restaurant, food and beverage sector. The solution aims to help establishments manage orders more efficiently while improving supply chain operations.
Third place went to the “SEER” team for developing a smart data privacy solution for institutions. The solution works to conceal and protect sensitive information before it is shared with external artificial intelligence tools.
The closing ceremony was held at the Sultan Qaboos Youth Complex for Culture and Entertainment in Salalah under the patronage of His Excellency Dr. Ahmed bin Mohsen Al Ghassani, Chairman of Dhofar Municipality.
Mohammed bin Ali Al Shahri, Assistant Director of Finance, Investment and Entrepreneurship at the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority in Dhofar Governorate, said that the hackathon provided a practical platform for transforming real-world challenges into applicable and scalable solutions and products.
He explained that the four-day event took participants through several stages, beginning with identifying challenges and generating ideas, followed by the application of artificial intelligence technologies, development of prototypes, preparation of presentations, and refinement of projects through mentoring and evaluation.
The event concluded with teams presenting their ideas and solutions before the judging panel.
The participating projects covered several fields, including communications, business, small and medium enterprises, education, skills, tourism, and smart and sustainable communities.
The closing ceremony featured video presentations highlighting the various stages of the hackathon, including the ideas developed by participants, their experiences and challenges, as well as the event’s outcomes and next steps.
The ceremony also included the honoring of the winning teams, participants and supporting organizations that contributed to the Salalah AI Hackathon 2026.
