42 Abu Dhabi, the UAE capital’s innovative and disruptive coding school that provides a unique peer-to-peer, gamified learning methodology and BEACON RED, an advanced cyber solutions provider that tackles complex national security threats, have jointly organized a large-scale hackathon that was attended by over 70 Emirati and international students from 42 Abu Dhabi.

The hackathon served as a hands-on activity for students to set up a system to analyze a web shop, discover security vulnerabilities, and understand how attackers try to manipulate their code. During the hackathon, students tackled different challenges and showcased their innovative solutions to earn a number of prizes through the knowledge and experience that they gained during the two-day hackathon.

Hosting this hackathon at 42 Abu Dhabi’s campus comes as part of the school’s efforts to enrich the students’ learning experience and offer them with tools to become well-rounded professionals in the digital fields and secure limitless career development opportunities. 42 Abu Dhabi continues to work on empowering its students to play a major role in the Emirate’s digital transformation and fostering a technology-driven generation of coders who will drive the digital economy through innovation.

Ilia Mazourine was awarded first place in the hackathon, followed by Hussain Awadh in second place and Yonaton Moges in third place.

42 Abu Dhabi is an innovative and disruptive coding school, launched in 2020 as an initiative of the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) and Abu Dhabi’s Ghadan 21 accelerator programme, which aims to drive Abu Dhabi’s ongoing development through multi-faceted investments in business, innovation and people.