This unique national challenge for the UAE is an awards and exhibition program designed to recognize and harness the best IT based ideas and practices from the classrooms of secondary schools, colleges and Universities of the UAE and GCC. Modelled on the successful global Stockholm and Rome Challenges, we invite projects from teachers, students, secondary schools, colleges and universities within the UAE and GCC countries. Share your ideas, get your students involved, co-operate with others.

The UAE Challenge is an initiative of the Higher Colleges of Technology, in collaboration with Zayed University, UAE University, the Ministry of Education, ITEP and Knowledge Village. Many UAE and international business organizations have also joined in sponsoring this national event.

Involving the three main educational sectors, schools, colleges and Universities, the UAE Educational IT Challenge 2006 was a huge success, with 743 projects entered from 124 schools, colleges and Universities of the GCC. Sixty-five finalists displayed their projects at the Grand Hyatt Conference Center on April 22nd 2006, where His Excellency Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, Minister of Higher Education presented awards to nineteen winners.

In 2004, eight of the nine winners traveled to Stockholm to attend the Global Stockholm Challenge during May 2004. An additional 5 projects from the UAE were selected as finalists in the Global Junior Challenge and invited to display their projects in Rome during Nov 16-19 2004.

The challenge was first held in 2002 and was a national and international success. Many projects that were entered to the UAE challenge also entered the global challenges of Stockholm and Rome, some of which made the finals, a first for the UAE and helps demonstrate that the UAE is at the forefront of innovation and best practice in the world.