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 days’ 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.
𝑾𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒉 𝑻𝒆𝒄𝒉-𝑵𝒐𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝑯𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒏 2026
𝙇𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙡 2 𝘾𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙜𝙤𝙧𝙮
Winner: Team Eon (CST) – 𝘌𝘥𝘶𝘮𝘰𝘴, an offline-based learning platform.
Second Position: Team Yigpar (GCIT) – 𝘠𝘪𝘨𝘱𝘢𝘳, a Dzongkha typing learning platform; and Team HerTech (CST) – 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) – 𝘍𝘭𝘦𝘹𝘪 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘬, a platform connecting young people to temporary and part-time employment opportunities.
𝙇𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙡 3 𝘾𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙜𝙤𝙧𝙮
Winner: Team Fair Code (CST) – 𝘗𝘦𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘺𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘴, a collaborative writing workspace for students featuring AI-assisted grading and contribution analytics for lecturers.
Second Position: Team ZORA (GCIT) – 𝘡𝘖𝘙𝘈 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦.
Third Position: Team PRISM (GCIT) – 𝘗𝘙𝘐𝘚𝘔
𝙊𝙥𝙚𝙣 𝘾𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙜𝙤𝙧𝙮
Winner: Team Jina – 𝘑𝘪𝘯𝘢, 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 – 𝘈.𝘟.𝘐.𝘚 (𝘈𝘥𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘟𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘚𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮), an AI-powered educational platform integrating intelligent learning assistance, Dzongkha language support, and immersive digital visualization.
Third Position: Team Hibiscus – 𝘕𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘦, 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.
