Doha, February 24 (QNA) - Qatar's Ministry of Sports and Youth has announced the closure of registration for the "Youth Creativity in the World of Data" award, an initiative aimed at strengthening data and artificial intelligence skills among young people across the Gulf.

The award is organized by Qatar's Ministry of Sports and Youth in partnership with the GCC Statistical Center, the National Planning Council and national statistics centers from member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

Officials said the initiative is part of broader Gulf efforts to build national capabilities in linking data with artificial intelligence applications, enhance digital and statistical skills, and support evidence-based policy-making. It also aims to raise awareness of the growing importance of the data sector and encourage young people to develop innovative, practical solutions.

HE Undersecretary of the Ministry of Sports and Youth, Yasser bin Abdullah Al Jamal, said the strong turnout reflected rising awareness among Gulf youth of the strategic value of data in supporting development and decision-making.

"The award represents a practical platform to empower young people to transform their ideas into applicable solutions in statistical analysis and artificial intelligence," he said, adding that the ministry is committed to strengthening Gulf partnerships and fostering an enabling environment for digital talent in line with the rapid transformation of the digital economy.

A total of 244 young men and women from across GCC countries met the participation criteria. Of these, 157 were from Oman, 30 from Qatar, 29 from the United Arab Emirates, 11 from Bahrain, 10 from Kuwait and seven from Saudi Arabia.

Women accounted for 57% of participants, compared with 43% men. In terms of age groups, 120 entrants were aged between 18 and 24, while 124 were between 25 and 34.

Submissions were divided into two main tracks: developing statistical solutions using artificial intelligence, and analyzing data to address social and developmental challenges. Proposed projects covered a range of topics, including data analysis to support public policy, forecasting social indicators, analyzing open data, building smart applications and interactive dashboards, and applying machine learning techniques to digital content analysis.

The first phase of the competition involved an initial screening process to exclude entries that did not meet general requirements. Qualified applications were then referred to a technical evaluation team, which is reviewing submissions according to the approved criteria for each track.

In the coming weeks, shortlisted participants will be contacted to proceed to the third phase. They will receive technical support and access to relevant data sets to develop their projects, which are due to be submitted in May.

A judging panel comprising representatives from all GCC member states will then assess the final projects and select the winners. The results are expected to be announced during celebrations marking Gulf Youth Day due in June. (QNA)