ADNEC Centre, Abu Dhabi
The Global Rail Youth Hackathon 2025 (1–2 October) will be hosted at the Global Rail Transport Infrastructure Exhibition & Conference (Global Rail), the region’s largest mobility and transportation exhibition, bringing together international leaders, industry experts, and innovators.
Over two days, 50 of the UAE’s brightest university students and recent graduates will design and prototype bold solutions for the future of rail in the UAE. By participating, they will gain exposure to cutting-edge rail innovations, receive mentorship from industry experts, and compete for exciting cash prizes — all while showcasing their talent on a global stage.
The Global Rail Youth Hackathon 2025 is about youth, ideas, and impact turning fresh perspectives into real opportunities for the future of rail, aiming to achieve the following goals
.svg)
Give university students and recent graduates the opportunity to reimagine the future of transport.
.svg)
We welcome everything from creative pitches to working prototypes — solutions that push boundaries.
.svg)
Connect the hackathon to the UAE’s vision for smarter, sustainable mobility.
.svg)
Link participants with mentors and industry leaders, opening doors to tomorrow’s careers.
.svg)
Make Global Rail 2025 a platform where youth, experts, and innovators come together.
Participation in the hackathon is open to
.svg)
University students at all levels (undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate) from universities across the UAE.
.svg)
Recent graduates within the last 2 years with backgrounds in engineering, technology, or business.
* Pre-registration is mandatory. Those wishing to participate must complete the initial registration form by clicking the button below:
Participants will form diverse teams of 4–5 people and select one of the hackathon challenges. By the end of the event, each team must present their solution or idea in a clear, concise way. Submissions can be presented in one or more of the following formats.
.svg)
A well-structured idea supported by visuals, research, and a clear implementation path. At a minimum, this should include wireframes, mockups, or prototypes that illustrate the user interface and journey.
.svg)
A functional demo, mock-up, or proof of concept that shows the technical feasibility of the idea. Teams aiming for higher scores are encouraged to demonstrate MVPs with basic working features.
.svg)
Graphs, charts, or infographics that highlight the problem and the potential impact of the proposed solution.
.svg)
A concise and compelling video (1–3 minutes) explaining the idea, its benefits, and its value.
.svg)
Visual representations of the user experience and interface that demonstrate usability, design, and functionality.
Towards the end of the hackathon, each team will pitch their solutions to a panel of judges comprising Etihad Rail representatives and industry experts. Submissions will be assessed based on the following criteria:
Clear and comprehensive articulation of the problem statement, including its nature and scope.
The extent to which the identified challenge is relevant to the hackathon themes and the priorities of Etihad Rail.
Practicality and implementability of the proposed solution in a real-world setting.
The solution’s capacity to drive meaningful change and create value for the future of rail in the UAE.
Degree of innovation in incorporating AI and other emerging technologies in the solution design.
Originality and inventiveness in the presentation style and storytelling of the idea.
The Global Rail Youth Hackathon 2025 aims to recognize and celebrate outstanding innovation, creativity, and impact demonstrated by participants. To encourage excellence and motivate teams, the following awards will be presented to the top performers:
By participating in the Global Rail Hackathon 2025 (the Hackathon), you, acting individually and on behalf of your team, acknowledge and agree that any intellectual property conceived, created, developed, written, or prepared by you, your team members, or your team, as applicable, in the course of the Hackathon (the Hackathon IP), together with all intellectual property rights in such Hackathon IP, shall automatically vest in and be the exclusive property of Etihad Rail Company PJSC (Etihad Rail). You hereby irrevocably assign, and shall ensure that any relevant team member irrevocably assigns, to Etihad Rail all right, title, and interest in and to the Hackathon IP. For the avoidance of doubt, Hackathon IP does not include any background intellectual property that existed prior to the earliest publication of the Hackathon challenge(s) on the relevant webpage(s) or social media.
Etihad Rail grants each team member a limited, revocable, non-exclusive, worldwide, non-transferable, and non-sublicensable licence to use, display, and promote the Hackathon IP solely for their own educational, research, and personal portfolio purposes.
* By joining, you agree to these terms, and all intellectual property matters will follow UAE laws.
Your ideas could help shape Dubai’s future!
