stc group, an engine of digital transformation, and Mohammed Bin Salman Nonprofit City “Misk City”, the world’s first Nonprofit city, are delighted to announce the conclusion of the ‘Metathon competition’. The aim of this competition is to discover and nurture promising Saudi talents in the field of technology and to explore innovative horizons in ‘Emerging Technologies’. The competition was conducted in partnership with iot squared (leader in iot solutions), SCCC (first hyper-scaler in KSA) and our community partners Saudi Data Community (leading enabler and facilitator of data communities in the region)

The competition elicited participation from over 10K Saudi talents; with70 shortlisted participants across 14 teams, showcasing built immersive use cases and virtual experiences in Education, Retail, Tourism and Virtual Events/ Concerts. These immersive virtual experiences were created on KSA’s first National Metaverse Platform hosted on SCCC. The competition concluded with a Demo-Day at "The City Hub" where a judging committee comprising of metaverse experts evaluated the ‘Metaverse experiences’ developed by the participating teams over the past 3 months.

Misk City within the framework of Mohammed Bbin Salman Foundation “Misk” serves as an incubator for fostering innovation and creativity. The Metathon competition reinforced Misk City’s central role as a thriving destination that supports innovation, entrepreneurship, and nurtures future leaders.

stc group as an engine of digital transformation is spearheading the development of a cohesive technology ecosystem, is committed to the continuous development and success of the digital and communications sector. The group enabled this competition by empowering teams in multiple ways, from leveraging its digital library to providing access to valuable learning resources, active consulting and guidance from ‘emerging technology’ experts. stc also provided access to an integrated virtual community for effective collaboration throughout the competition. The group’s subsidiaries represented by iot squared and SCCC provided a supportive and inclusive environment to hone the skills and unleash the innovative potential of Saudi talent.

All in all, stc group and Misk City share a vision to create enabling environment for innovation and excellence through the Metathon Challenge, serving as a platform for innovation and excellence. The Metathon allows the talents to discover the best metaverse experiences by providing valuable expertise and insights that contribute to the development of the future of Misk City's future.  The challenge also contributes to discovering a pool of promising talents in emerging technologies, empowering them to play a pivotal role in fostering sustainable growth in the digital field.