Saudi Arabia has opened a fresh call for ideas to improve the pilgrim experience at Islam's two holiest sites, inviting young innovators to submit artificial intelligence and technology solutions for the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah. The deadline for entries is September 16, 2026.
The competition is the sixth edition of the "Diwan Al-Ibtikar" program, running under the name "Think for the Two Holy Mosques." It is organised by the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque in partnership with the Mohammed bin Salman Foundation, known as MiSK. Organisers say the aim is to turn creative ideas into tested prototypes that can improve services for the millions who visit each year.
From idea to working model
Program director Anas Al Shaher said the innovator's journey does not end with submitting an idea. Entries move through several stages: idea submission, a virtual camp, an in-person camp, and the building of a minimum viable product that is tested and refined. The program concludes with a closing ceremony that recognises the top three solutions, which receive financial rewards to help develop them further.
This structure is designed to bridge the gap between promising concepts and practical tools that can actually be deployed inside the mosques, where any new system must work reliably at enormous scale.
Three fields and six tracks
Al Shaher said this edition has broadened its scope to cover three main fields: culture and values, technology, and community responsibility. These branch into six tracks: visiting the Rawdah, guest experience, the environment of the two mosques, multilingual guidance and interaction, artificial intelligence for the two mosques, and enriching the visitor experience.
Each track comes with core questions and case studies to help participants understand the real challenges facing the sites and to shape workable solutions rather than abstract proposals.
Artificial intelligence sits at the centre of the effort. Al Shaher said the program pushes participants to design AI-based systems for faster response to emergency and humanitarian cases, and to tailor services according to visitor type, timing, location and crowd levels. Other goals include smart guidance systems that help visitors reach their destinations quickly and stronger digital interaction with people from different cultures and languages.
Why it matters for pilgrims
For ordinary pilgrims, initiatives like this eventually translate into practical improvements: clearer wayfinding in a vast and crowded space, guidance available in more languages, and quicker help when someone falls ill or becomes separated from their group. Multilingual support is a particular priority given that visitors arrive speaking dozens of languages.
Young Saudis and residents with ideas, technical skills or an interest in serving pilgrims are encouraged to take part before the September 16 deadline. Even those who do not enter can expect to see the results in the years ahead, as winning concepts move from the drawing board into the daily operation of the two mosques. Pilgrims, meanwhile, are advised to keep the Nusuk app updated, as it remains the main channel through which many of these digital services reach visitors on the ground.