Conclusion of 'MediaThon Sur' Competition to Enhance Community Awareness of Cybersecurity - Sarmad

(KUNA) — The “Sur Mediathon” competition concluded its activities today, Saturday, under the patronage of the National Cybersecurity Authority and Kuwait Finance House, with the aim of enhancing community awareness of cybersecurity and leveraging artificial intelligence technologies to produce innovative awareness content that strengthens cybersecurity awareness among youth.

The competition, organized by “Kudd” company on October 23 and 24, saw the participation of numerous Kuwaiti young men and women in free training workshops covering content creation basics, copywriting, and the responsible and safe use of AI tools, culminating in team-based production of short awareness videos not exceeding 60 seconds.

Held under the slogan “Every Video Builds Part of the Wall,” the event underscored the importance of collective community efforts in strengthening digital protection and embedding a culture of cybersecurity through creative content that keeps pace with technological developments and addresses all segments of society.

The National Cybersecurity Authority’s patronage of the competition aligns with its ongoing efforts to raise cybersecurity awareness by engaging the private sector and empowering youth to utilize modern technologies in producing meaningful content that contributes to building a safer digital environment and enhancing their role as active partners in safeguarding cyberspace.

For his part, Abdullah Al-Saif, Chief Executive Officer of Public Relations at Kuwait Finance House, emphasized in a speech during the closing ceremony the importance of enhancing community awareness across various fields, particularly regarding the risks of modern technologies and how to use them safely and responsibly, thereby helping protect individuals from digital threats and cyber fraud attempts.

Al-Saif noted that Kuwait Finance House places great emphasis on community awareness through its active participation in the “Let’s Be Aware” campaign, in collaboration with the Central Bank of Kuwait and the Kuwait Banks Association, aiming to promote financial literacy and inform the public about financial and electronic fraud methods and prevention strategies, thereby enhancing customer protection and reinforcing safe transaction practices.

Al-Saif congratulated the winning teams of the top positions in the competition, praising their creative ideas and innovative awareness content, which reflect Kuwaiti youth’s ability to leverage modern technologies to serve society and spread cybersecurity culture. He wished them continued success and excellence in their future initiatives.

For his part, Ahmed Marafi, Co-founder and CEO of Kudd Academy, told the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) that community awareness forms the cornerstone of building a secure digital society in Kuwait. He noted that the national “Sur” cybersecurity awareness initiative was launched from this vision to embed a culture of digital security and enhance individuals’ ability to interact safely and responsibly with modern technologies.

Marafi added that the “Sur Mediathon” competition demonstrated the tangible impact of cybersecurity awareness through the creative ideas and visual clips presented by participants, who successfully transformed their acquired knowledge and skills into targeted awareness messages contributing to spreading digital security culture among community members.

He expressed his gratitude and appreciation to the National Cybersecurity Authority and Kuwait Finance House for their partnership and support of the initiative, commending the efforts and creativity of all participants in producing awareness content that enhances cybersecurity awareness in Kuwait.

The competition activities concluded with the National Cybersecurity Authority honoring the top three winning teams. The “Hydoo” team secured first place and a cash prize of 500 Kuwaiti dinars (approximately $1,610), while the “S.L.M” team came in second.

With a prize of 300 Kuwaiti dinars (approximately $966), and the Mada team took third place with a cash prize of 200 Kuwaiti dinars (approximately $644).