The first stage of Challenge 71 asked participants to come up with practical and creative solutions to help people recover from drug addiction. This stage tested not only their thinking and problem-solving skills, but also their sense of social responsibility and care for the community.
After this, the competition moved into a tough resilience-focused phase. Teams had to work under pressure to create emergency response plans, manage rumours, deal with crisis situations on social media, and choose the most effective communication strategies. This stage pushed participants to stay calm, think clearly, and work well as a team during stressful situations.
Those who passed these rounds advanced to a challenging evening task at the Museum of the Future. Here, participants were asked to design a sustainable space station while staying within a fixed budget. This task required strong teamwork, leadership, planning, and creativity. Many participants were eliminated at this stage, making the competition even more intense.
The final stage took place at Dubai Opera. In this round, participants delivered powerful and inspiring speeches focused on empowering young people. They spoke in front of senior officials and respected dignitaries and confidently answered their questions. Captain Dr Engineer Salem Al Marri stood out by performing consistently well at every stage, earning the trust of the judges and ultimately winning the challenge.
Looking back on the experience, he described Challenge 71 as tough but highly rewarding. He shared that the journey helped him grow stronger in leadership, decision-making, and resilience. It also reminded him of the importance of being adaptable, working closely with others, and always continuing to learn and improve.
