Ibtechar, Qatar’s leading practical innovation solutions provider, in strategic partnership with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE), has awarded the winners of the sixth edition of the Sanea Competition at its closing ceremony.
Qatar’s leading discovery and making competition, Sanea, focuses on empowering Qatari youth with the STEM skills required to enable innovation and drive impact in society. In a six-month journey, the competition provides young innovators with intensive training and mentorship delivered by field experts. Students are introduced to various STEM tools as they pass through a series of MVPs embracing Sanea values of collaboration, communication, critical thinking and creativity to build revolutionary solutions aimed at countering real-world challenges.
The 2022-2023 edition of the competition witnessed the participation of 32 teams comprising 175 students from 26 middle and preparatory schools in the country. Under the mentorship of 28 teachers, trained by Ibtechar to use fourth-generation technologies, the competing teams developed a total of 32 working prototypes.
At each stage, the students received thorough feedback and guidance from an expert panel of judges, who assessed the teams for the design and usefulness of prototypes, teamwork, and presentation abilities. Winners of the competition were announced after a rigorous evaluation process.
Among the high schools, the first place was secured by students from Al Wakra Independent Secondary School for Girls for their project ‘Technology for Screening and Follow-up of Newborns with Cerebral Ischemia’; second-place was won by Amna Bint Wahab Secondary Independent School for Girls for their project ‘Rainwater Purification with natural water filters’; and third place was taken by Al Shaima Secondary Girls School for their project ‘Gas-sensing Smart Watch.’
Among the preparatory schools, the student team from Amna Bint Wahab Primary Independent School for Girls claimed the first place for the project ‘Smart Bracelet for the Safe Exiting of School Girls From the School Building’; the team from Al Shamal Preparatory School for Boys took the second place for the project ‘The Diver’s Watch’; and the third place was won by students from Hind Bint Amr Al-Ansaria Preparatory School for Girls for the project ‘Deviation and Curvature of the Spine.’
Under the sponsorship of Store974, first-place winners of the competition received an Epic Gamers 15.8” IPS Full HD Portable Touch Screen and Monitor, while second-place winners took home the Epic Gamers RGB Lighting Desk V2. Third-place winners earned Epic Gamers vouchers worth QAR 100 each.
Ms. Aisha Al-Emadi, E-learning specialist, delivered the speech on behalf of the E-learning and Digital Solutions Department at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education . In her speech, she said: “It gives me a great pleasure to welcome you all to the closing ceremony of Sanea Competition in its sixth edition. This ceremony is the culmination of a scientific journey undertaken by our creative students who showed their skills and presented their innovative ideas. I would like to congratulate all participants in this competition. There is no winner or loser between us today as all the contestants are winners. I would also like to commend the strenuous efforts exerted by the organizers of the competition to make this project a great success. This competition is a pioneering project that aims to provide a supportive and motivating environment to help our students discover their talents and enhance their abilities to innovate, manufacture and design. The competition also provides the students with convenient opportunities to convert their ideas into tangible creations through the use of technology, the STEM methodology and scientific research. This could result in building a generation of innovators who are able to contribute to achieving the sustainable development sought after by the State of Qatar. It can also spread the culture of manufacturing and innovation in the local community.”
Commenting on the occasion, Nayef Al-Ibrahim, CEO and Co-founder of Ibtechar said, “We are incredibly proud to continue building the legacy of the Sanea program, along with our partners, cultivating an environment for young talents in Qatar to connect ideas, find the right guidance as well as the opportunity to deepen their STEM skills and pioneer technological solutions for social good. A huge congratulations to the winners and all the participants of the competition – we look forward to their future accomplishments as the next generation of STEM leaders in Qatar, bolstering Qatar’s drive toward a knowledge-based society.”
Justin Kerr-Stevens, Chief Executive Officer, BLJ Worldwide commented, “We are honored to have supported this edition of the Sanea competition as the Media Agency Partner. It has been an absolute pleasure seeing young talents navigate their way through challenges, relentlessly pursuing their creativity and leveraging technology to transform fresh ideas into impactful solutions. We are proud of the combined efforts of all the participants and look forward to the way they will use their enhanced knowledge and skills to further enrich Qatar’s innovation landscape.”
Emad Al Khaja CEO of INJAZ Qatar commented: “INJAZ Qatar’s partnership with Sanea exemplifies the collaboration we seek in Qatar’s educational ecosystem. Innovation and entrepreneurial education go hand in hand, and help the students have a better learning experience. For this final award ceremony of the 6th edition of Sanea competition, I congratulate the students for stepping outside their comfort zone and challenge themselves, for this is the best way to learn and grow, and it will set the tone for the next chapters in their lives.”
Since its launch in 2016, the Sanea program has benefited over 3000 students and provided training to more than 120 teachers in Qatar. Over the years, the Sanea program has facilitated the development of more than 200 projects rooted in the idea of harnessing technology to drive positive impact across society.
To know more about the Sanea program and stay tuned about the next edition of the competition, please visit http://www.sanea.me/en/competition-program/