Online technology school Geek Express is providing young students from across the Mena region a chance to bring their technology dreams to life with ‘The Silicon Valley App Development Competition’. 

 

Powered by Geek Express, the 2nd annual edition of the competition is an opportunity for tech enthusiasts ages 8 to 15 to learn and develop their coding skills through app development courses available in Arabic, English, and French. 

 

Students from schools, STEM academies, and activity centers can compete in a fun and engaging environment, putting their coding and design skills to the test to win the ultimate tech prize - an all-expenses paid trip to technology hub Silicon Valley.

 

3-level programme

Students enrolled in Geek Express’ app development track, can participate and submit their entries by May 29. The app development track is a 3-level programme that helps students prepare for the competition. Microsoft-certified Geek Express trainers support and guide the young minds until participants can fill in their entry forms. Registrations for the competition open in April 2023 and will close on May 2.

 

The top 10 entries will be shortlisted and given the opportunity to present their final pitch based on a theme, in Abu Dhabi on June 8, 2023. The final pitches will be judged by a board of technology experts and leaders in the industry, with two lucky finalists winning sponsored trips to Silicon Valley - the global center for advanced technology and innovation.  

 

They get to visit the headquarters of global technology companies such as Google, Meta, Apple, and others. Winners will learn about key technological advancements of our time through immersive workshops and receive guidance from residing professionals involved in projects with Stanford, Google HQ, and HP Garage.

 

 

Massive response

Geek Express Co-Founder and COO Rayan Najdi, said: “After receiving a massive response last year, we are extremely excited to support our future coders to compete in the second edition of the Silicon Valley App Development Competition. In today's fast-paced environment, the inclusion of technology across all sectors is the key to survival and growth, making it very crucial to enable future generations with quality tech education while acknowledging their interests.”

 

Last year’s edition of the competition was very well-received and witnessed participation from more than 250 students across 8 countries, out of which 10 students were given the opportunity to present their ‘Health’ apps at Flat6Labs in Abu Dhabi. ‘Ray Lifestyle App’ by Rapid Kiblawi and ‘Fitness’ by Mariam Al Keel won the 2022 competition and a sponsored trip to Silicon Valley. Ara Farnezian (founder and CEO of Stratecis) and Jeremy Shorter (Assistant Vice President of Innovation at Aldar) judged the entries of the finalists.-- TradeArabia News Service