The Programme and Youth Coordination Division under the Department of Education Programmes, successfully concluded the Youth Tech-Novation Hackathon 2026, marking the culmination of the Youth Tech-Novation: Empowering the Youth through Digital Skills.
Launched in April 2026, the Youth Tech-Novation Project was designed to equip young people with essential digital competencies, innovation skills, and future-ready capabilities required to thrive in an increasingly digital world. The project was implemented through three levels of training. Level 1 focused on Foundational Digital Skills and was delivered by Athang Training Academy across 14 locations, including 13 Youth Centres nationwide. Levels 2 and 3, which focused on intermediate and advanced digital competencies, were delivered through the Royal University of Bhutan colleges: Jigme Namgyel Engineering College (JNEC), College Of Science And Technology. (CST), and Gyalpozhing College of Information Technology – GCIT.
Through the initiative, a total of 443 youth completed Level 1 training, while 520 youth underwent Levels 2 and 3 training, strengthening their digital, technical, and innovation capabilities.
The 3 daysโ Hackathon brought together six teams each from JNEC, CST, and GCIT, along with three teams competing in the Open Category. Participants applied their knowledge and skills to develop innovative technology-driven solutions addressing real-world challenges while demonstrating creativity, teamwork, and entrepreneurial spirit.
The Award and Closing Ceremony was graced by the Hon’ble Minister for Education and Skills Development, Lyonpo Yeezang De Thapa, and attended by UNICEF Representatives and other distinguished guests.
๐พ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ป๐๐๐-๐ต๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฏ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ 2026
๐๐๐ซ๐๐ก 2 ๐พ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ค๐ง๐ฎ
Winner: Team Eon (CST) โ ๐๐ฅ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ด, an offline-based learning platform.
Second Position: Team Yigpar (GCIT) โ ๐ ๐ช๐จ๐ฑ๐ข๐ณ, a Dzongkha typing learning platform; and Team HerTech (CST) โ Silent Speak, a solution that translates sign language into text to facilitate communication for individuals with hearing and speech impairments.
Third Position: Team Hustle Hub (JNEC) โ ๐๐ญ๐ฆ๐น๐ช ๐๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฌ, a platform connecting young people to temporary and part-time employment opportunities.
๐๐๐ซ๐๐ก 3 ๐พ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ค๐ง๐ฎ
Winner: Team Fair Code (CST) โ ๐๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ญ๐บ๐ต๐ช๐ค๐ด, a collaborative writing workspace for students featuring AI-assisted grading and contribution analytics for lecturers.
Second Position: Team ZORA (GCIT) – ๐ก๐๐๐ ๐๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญ๐ช๐จ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ.
Third Position: Team PRISM (GCIT) – ๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐ฅ๐๐ฃ ๐พ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ค๐ง๐ฎ
Winner: Team Jina โ ๐๐ช๐ฏ๐ข, a platform that connects organizations directly with citizens through incentivized digital surveys, enabling real-time public insights while rewarding participants.
Second Position: Team Druk-Tech โ ๐.๐.๐.๐ (๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ฑ๐ต๐ช๐ท๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐๐ฆ๐ค๐ถ๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญ๐ช๐จ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ ๐๐บ๐ด๐ต๐ฆ๐ฎ), an AI-powered educational platform integrating intelligent learning assistance, Dzongkha language support, and immersive digital visualization.
Third Position: Team Hibiscus โ ๐๐ฆ๐น๐ข๐๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฆ, a smart IoT-based water management system designed to automate and optimize water distribution.
In recognition of their outstanding performance and innovative solutions, seed fund support was awarded to the winning teams in each category. Winners received Nu. 150,000, second-place teams received Nu. 100,000, and third-place teams received Nu. 50,000. With the seed fund support, the selected teams will further develop their prototypes and refine their ideas.
