المملكة: First in the world… 26 awards for Saudi Arabia in the WAICY competition during 2025

It came ahead of the United States of America, which came in second place, and Indonesia in third place, in a result that reflects a sustainable national investment in capacity building, enhancing artificial intelligence literacy, and empowering young people with the tools of the future.

Saudi Arabia’s Global Achievements

The establishment of this competition came from an ambitious vision that believes in the importance of learning artificial intelligence, and enabling promising youth to maximize the benefit of its innovative technologies in a way that meets the development of these advanced technologies at an unprecedented pace.

The Kingdom continued to consolidate its global leadership in the World Artificial Intelligence Competition for Youth (WAICY), after achieving first place in the world for three consecutive years; In the 2023 edition, it won a record number of medals among (18) thousand students from (40) countries.

Artificial Intelligence

Then it continued its excellence in 2024 by achieving (22) medals as the highest tally among (129) participating countries, leading to its crowning in 2025 in first place globally after receiving (26) awards through innovative projects that competed among thousands International participation, in an achievement that reflects the growing capabilities of national competencies in the field of artificial intelligence and the support of the national system to empower young talents.

This competition comes within an integrated international system that brings together students with teachers, researchers and innovators, and is concerned with developing smart solutions centered around humans and their values, and has received the support of the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority. "Sdaya"

The competition included four main competitive tracks, including: presenting applications of artificial intelligence to address real-world problems, art generated by artificial intelligence, applications of large language models, in addition to the video track generated by artificial intelligence, which reflects the broadening horizons of creativity and innovation for participants from various educational and cultural backgrounds.

WAICY Artificial Intelligence Competition

The rapid growth of the competition embodies its rising global status, as the number of participants increased from more than (200) students from five to five. countries in 2018, to more than (132) thousand students, representing (103) countries in the 2025 edition. It was also evident in its profound impact that extended beyond the competition, as many student projects turned into the nucleus of start-up companies, some of which received external funding.

The Future of Artificial Intelligence

While a number of competition graduates have joined prestigious international universities such as: MIT, Stanford, and Harvard, an increasing number of former participants are returning to the competition as mentors and judges.

At a time when global attention is focused on large language models, the competition continues (WAICY) Emphasizing the foundational principles of artificial intelligence, guided by "The five big ideas of artificial intelligence"

It also relied on comprehensive evaluation criteria that are not limited to technical aspects, but extend to include creativity in preparing a conscious and responsible generation capable of contributing to shaping the future of artificial intelligence.

Artificial Intelligence Education

As the competition enters its ninth year, there is a renewed focus on expanding equitable access to artificial intelligence education, strengthening regional and international partnerships, and consolidating the readiness of youth around the world, in a process in which knowledge intersects with values, innovation with responsibility, and in which the Kingdom’s model emerges as a pioneering national experience. In empowering people and creating the future.

The Saudi Authority for Data and Artificial Intelligence has assigned "Sdaya" Early interest in adopting this competition and supporting its participants with various forms of support, as part of its efforts to develop the capabilities of the younger generation to learn and use artificial intelligence technologies in a responsible and effective manner.

With the aim of enabling them to employ artificial intelligence in addressing realistic challenges, encouraging them to develop innovative projects with a tangible impact, and enhancing their awareness of the importance of artificial intelligence and its growing impact in various areas of life, in addition to motivating male and female students to pursue the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).