The Hajj Innovation Award was launched at the sixth Hajj Conference and Exhibition, in partnership with the Pilgrim Experience Program, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, and the Research, Development and Innovation Authority. The award aims to foster innovation, empower innovators, and support solutions with measurable impact that ease pilgrims’ journeys and improve the services they receive.

As part of national efforts to use innovation to develop Hajj services, the award encourages solutions already proven in the field and helps them be adopted and scaled for lasting impact as pilgrim services rapidly evolve.

The award has three categories: one recognizing Hajj missions’ care for their pilgrims, for Hajj affairs offices; one recognizing operational excellence in establishments, for service providers; and one recognizing governmental and operational excellence, for government and operational bodies. This encourages stakeholders across the Hajj system to develop high-quality, practical, scalable solutions.

The award covers five areas directly tied to the Hajj journey: transport and crowd management, accommodation, catering, essential services, and enriching experiences, so that solutions address real needs at every stage.

It highlights innovations and practices that have moved beyond concept to implementation and proven impact, making it easier to transfer and scale successful models and turn innovation into a lasting tool for improvement.

The launch reflects the combined efforts of stakeholders in Hajj and in research, development, and innovation, and supports Saudi Vision 2030 by using innovation, technology, and knowledge to make services more efficient and improve the pilgrim experience.