I TECH has won the senior category of the Office of the Prime Minister’s 2026 Innovation Challenge, securing a cash prize of $1.5 million, while MATT Solutions topped the newly introduced junior category.
The three-day competition, which concluded on Sunday at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, attracted 14 registered teams and included coding, research, design, prototyping, user testing and final presentations, a release from the Office of the Prime Minister said.
LUDGE TECH placed second in the senior category and received $800,000, while G STACK secured third place and $550,000.
MATT Solutions received $500,000 for winning the junior category. Code Lunima and Mars placed second and third, respectively, and were awarded consolation prizes sponsored by SBM Offshore Guyana.
The junior category, introduced for the first time this year, was open to participants between the ages of 16 and 21. According to the release, it was intended to give younger innovators an opportunity to develop technology-based responses to national problems.
Prime Minister Mark Phillips, who was performing the functions of President, told the closing ceremony that the competition formed part of the government’s efforts to build human capital, encourage entrepreneurship and turn locally developed ideas into practical solutions.
He said the development of a digital economy would require not only technically skilled people but secure systems, including adequate cybersecurity, data protection and resilient infrastructure.
Phillips urged participants to continue developing their projects after the competition and to consider the cost, maintenance, security, accessibility and training requirements associated with their proposed solutions.
“Your prototype may become a pilot, a start-up, a public-interest solution or a service capable of reaching regional and international markets,” he was quoted as saying.
SBM Offshore Guyana Country General Manager Martin Cheong said the country’s development would depend not only on new industries and investments but also on creating the skills required for Guyanese to participate in emerging opportunities.
Cheong announced that the company would offer entrepreneurial training to all participants in the junior and senior categories. SBM Offshore has partnered with the Industry and Innovation Unit on the competition for the past four years.
Industry and Innovation Unit Director Sharukh Hussain said that since 2023 the partnership had facilitated the participation of as many as 40 teams and more than 120 persons.
Participants have developed software-based solutions in areas including education, health and safety, road safety, environmental monitoring, sustainable development, workforce training and productivity in the oil and gas sector, the release added.
The competition, now in its sixth year, was held from September 4 to 6 under the theme, “Transitioning through Innovation.”
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