After launching the Community Post function and Competition just last month, Wamda received a great response and some very compelling, honest, and powerful blog posts- a testament to the engaged and passionate readers in the region.

Today we announce the Winner of our Competition based on popularity and quality of content. The first place winner is Khurram Zafar, who submitted a post discussing Pakistan's startup innovation and investment against a backdrop of the country's current political and military strife. Offering up the startup ecosystem as an alternative to standard narratives, Zafar boldly titled his post: 46 Drone Strikes, 652 Bomb Blasts, 4 Startups, 1 Year.

The post was the most popular with Wamda's readers, revealing interest in a sneak peak at Pakistan's ecosystem.

The top 5 posts in the competition are as follows: 

1. 46 Drone Strikes, 652 Bomb Blasts, 4 Startups, 1 Year, by Khurram Zafar.
2. Saudi, We Have a Problem: Where Are The Real Entrepreneurs, by Osama Natto.
3. Startups Are Saving the Music Industry: Here's How, by Fares Ghandour.
4. All On-Page SEO Tips & Tricks, by Shadi Halloun.
5. Is your project idea outside the bubble? [Arabic], by Ahmed Hassan.

It was a pleasant surprise to notice that among the 40 contributions to the competition, half of them, including the fifth most popular, were in Arabic.

If you are a fan of the region's startup ecosystem, and of writing, stay tuned on Wamda for more competitions to come in the near future. And continue to contribute often, you may just wind up featured on our homepage!