Under the patronage and participation of Her Royal Highness Princess Dana Firas, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Cultural Heritage and President of the International Council on Monuments and Sites – Jordan (ICOMOS Jordan), and in the presence of His Royal Highness Prince Firas bin Raad, the evaluation event for the participating projects in the “Heritage Hackathon” was held on Thursday, 14 August, at the Hussein Technical University (HTU) campus. The event was organized in collaboration with HTU and the British Institute in Amman (Council for British Research in the Levant – CBRL).

In her remarks, HRH Princess Dana Firas emphasized the importance of the partnership between ICOMOS Jordan and national academic institutions in enhancing the protection of cultural heritage and engaging the creative potential of youth. She highlighted ICOMOS as a leading international organization in setting standards and producing knowledge across diverse heritage-related fields, while offering young people opportunities to take on leadership roles. She also noted that the hackathon provides a multidisciplinary platform for designing digital solutions to safeguard heritage sites, stressing that heritage represents identity, collective memory, and shared human values, and that its protection is an ethical responsibility that requires the participation of all. She concluded by thanking the organizers and participants.

The hackathon brought together outstanding students from various disciplines. The event received enthusiastic participation, with over 70 teams registering, and 38 teams submitting their projects in accordance with the hackathon requirements. These projects were initially reviewed by an evaluation committee consisting of:

• Eng. Dania Al-Saeed
• Ms.Waed Al-Tamimi
• Eng. Shatha
• Mubaideen
• Eng. Bara’a Al-Sharman
• Eng. Alaa Qamooh

From these, *17 projects qualified for the final judging round*, conducted by a panel composed of:

• HRH Princess Dana Firas (ICOMOS)
• Prof. Zidan Kafafi (ICOMOS)
• Eng. Alaa Qamooh (HTU)
• Eng. Dania Al-Saeed (HTU)
• Eng. Aseel Al-Majali (HTU)
• Prof. Naif Haddad (HU)
• Eng. Mohammad Kanakriyah

The competition concluded with three winning projects, whose teams received financial prizes sponsored by ICOMOS Jordan.

The winning projects stood out for their ability to raise awareness about the importance of heritage protection and encourage the use of modern technology in documentation, monitoring, and strengthening community engagement with heritage sites. The hackathon also provided an interactive educational environment that enhanced participants’ skills and helped build bridges between applied sciences and the humanities.

Organizers affirmed that “Heritage Hackathon 2025” represents a practical model for employing digital innovation in the service of heritage, reflecting the commitment of all partners to empowering young people to contribute to preserving Jordan’s cultural identity and protecting its heritage for future generations.