Etihad Etisalat (Mobily) has signed an agreement with Youth Elite Program (YEP), the partner sponsor for Mobily apps developing contest (#Mobily_Hackathon), which aims to send the winners to Silicon Valley in the US city of San Francisco.

Faiez Awadh, chief HR officer, John Saad, chief consumer officer, and a number of executives attended on behalf of Mobily. YEP CEO Ahmed Banafie was among those present.

Coinciding with the agreement signing, Mobily announced the launch of app developing contest for this year, which aims to develop and innovate Arabic applications for the smart device industry.

The contest’s mechanism and how to apply them will vary this year in comparison with the previous versions provided by Mobily over the past years. It will take the touch of Hackathon, which means in the world of technology, quick implementation and programming within a short period of time.

The contest will include all those interested in this field such as developers, programmers, designers and entrepreneurs. This initiative is stated to be in keeping with the Ministry of Labor’s decision about Saudizing the mobile shops, since the winners will have an opportunity for exploring their prospects.

The contest will be launched on in Riyadh on March 31, and continue for three days during the weekend.

The trip to Silicon Valley will be for a week in collaboration with YEP, the cosponsor, that aims to develop and build up the youth and their skills through international programs and field trips. The trip program will include visits to companies involved in smart apps and entrepreneurship, and they will also attend a number of workshops.

App developers, whether individuals or company representatives, can participate in the contest. All interested have been asked to register themselves on the dedicated website.