RIYADH: Northern Borders Gov. Prince Faisal bin Khalid bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz honored the winning teams of the Northern Borders Region digital innovation hackathon at the governorate headquarters on Wednesday. The teams developed digital solutions addressing strategic challenges and priorities identified by the governorate, an official statement said. Team “Miqdam” won first place in the early monitoring of information related to government services track and received SR50,000 ($13,300). Team “Afaq” took second place in the data and artificial intelligence track, receiving SR30,000, while Team “Hay Aynak” was placed third in the easier beneficiary journey track and received SR20,000. The winners were selected through a multi-stage judging process that included verifying eligibility, individual project assessments, reviewing significant differences in scores and approving the final results according to unified criteria. The winning solutions will undergo technical and operational assessments to determine whether they are ready for piloting, adoption or incubation. Their development pathways and potential applications will also be studied to help move them from prototypes to usable solutions for government institutions. Held over three days, the hackathon attracted more than 90 participants who submitted 35 innovative projects, including seven media projects. Participants also developed a number of digital prototypes and solutions addressing challenges related to services, beneficiary experience, data and artificial intelligence. The hackathon aims to foster technological talent and innovation in government while supporting collaboration with specialists and organizations to develop digital solutions for the region.