The AI4Tarayana Challenge 2026 came to a successful close with Her Majesty the Queen Mother Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck gracing the closing ceremony at Gyelpozhing College of Information Technology (GCIT) in Kabisa, Thimphu. The hackathon, themed โEmpowering Rural Communities with AI,โ aimed to harness the power of Artificial Intelligence to tackle real-world challenges in rural Bhutan. The event began over the weekend, with 24 teams presenting their innovative ideas. After a two-day development and mentorship phase on April 7th and 8th, the top 10 teams advanced to the final stage of the competition.
The winners were:
1. First Place: Aplos Lab, a team of fourth-year students, developed a Bhutan multilingual AI model to address digital exclusion and the loss of languages. The model, featuring both text and voice capabilities, was designed to be accessible and practical for diverse users across Bhutan.
2. Second Place: Strata, another team of fourth-year students, created Stella, an AI system for land and housing risk assessment, and Hourglass, a tool that allows users to upload satellite images for insights into land conditions and the surrounding environment.
3. Third Place: Mebar Labs, a team of first and second year students, created Lhakgay, a reading app that seeks to address the reading gap between rural and urban communities in Bhutan. The app, powered by AI, recommended books and supported offline access to resources, promoting more equal learning opportunities for students in remote areas.
In Her Majestyโs address to the college, Her Majesty praised the three AI projects for their powerful impact on Bhutan, particularly in improving rural communication, enhancing safety, and promoting reading among young students. Her Majesty expressed great pride in the students and the institution, thanked the leaders and supporters, and encouraged everyone to be good Bhutanese, committed to serving the King and Country.
The event, sponsored by Bhutan Insurance Limited and Bond Capital Singapore, awarded cash prizes to the top three teams. The challenge was part of the Tech Tarayana Collaboration between GCIT and the Tarayana Foundation, launched following Her Majestyโs visit to GCIT last September. This collaboration aims to foster mutual benefits and strengthen partnerships among institutions, communities, and stakeholders, creating a lasting impact