The Urban Innovation Hackathon is a two-day creative sprint inviting King Saud University (KSU) students to develop practical solutions for Saudi cities. Organised by KSU’s Architecture and Planning Department and STEM Innovation Center, in partnership with the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing (MoMAH), it connects student creativity with the institutions shaping urban development. The National Housing Company (NHC) joins as a partner, bringing real-world challenges from housing delivery and integrated communities for participants to explore and test ideas against. The Saudi Urban Lab is also a partner. Established through collaboration between MoMAH and KSU, the Lab is supported by UN-Habitat and UNDP under the Ministry’s partnership with the United Nations. Teams will explore four tracks: housing, growth and future communities; city management and urban governance; land management and urban development; and quality of life and integrated neighbourhoods. Expert presentations and mentoring will help them turn ideas into practical proposals. By connecting students with government, NHC, academia, international organisations and urban practitioners, the hackathon offers a path for promising concepts to be refined and potentially piloted beyond the event. It gives young people a meaningful role in shaping Saudi Arabia’s urban future.