More than 9,000 secondary school students across Malaysia took part in the AI Muda@NADI Hackathon 2026, an initiative that culminated in a national finals event where 26 finalist teams presented AI-powered solutions for the country’s plantations and commodities sector. Held under the theme “AI Innovation for the Future of Plantations and Commodities”, the hackathon drew participants from Form 1 to Form 6 representing schools from every state in Malaysia.
AI Muda@NADI Hackathon 2026 Finals
The two-day national finals saw student teams present solutions addressing sustainability, plantation productivity, smart farming, environmental conservation, and commodity innovation. The 26 finalist teams were evaluated across four components: AI Apps developed using vibe coding, AI Videos, AI Prompt Trails, and AI Project Cards. Submissions were assessed on the problem addressed, the proposed AI solution, relevance to Malaysian challenges, and alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The winning team, “INNOVIQ” from Kolej Vokasional Perdagangan Johor Bahru, built “TerraScan”, an AI-powered smart agriculture application that integrates intelligent soil analysis, crop recommendations, weather forecasting, farm simulation, and financial management tools to support smarter farming decisions. The solution is designed to improve crop yields, reduce operational costs, enhance food security, and promote sustainable agricultural practices.
INNOVIQ took home RM5,000 as the first-place winner, the second-place team received RM2,000, while the third-place team received RM1,000. Each competing team comprised four students and one supervising teacher from the same school.
The hackathon marked the culmination of AI Muda@NADI, an initiative under the AI@NADI Training Programme 2026. The program was implemented in August by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) in collaboration with CelcomDigi through the National Information Dissemination Centres (NADI). AI Muda@NADI was conducted in partnership with Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s Faculty of Education and Google for Education, with support from the Ministry of Education and Maktab Rendah Sains MARA (MRSM).
Building on the initiative, MCMC and CelcomDigi plan to expand the AI@NADI Training Programme to tertiary education students and working professionals, providing more Malaysians with opportunities to develop practical AI skills for learning, employment, and professional development.
Pokdepinion: Form 1 kids building AI farm apps while some adults are still Googling how to use Excel.
