A QR code-based check-in system called GovtSTRA Penang won the RM2,000 top prize at the AI Hackathon for Public Sector 2026, an event organised by Digital Penang and supported by Amazon Web Services (AWS). Fourteen teams from state agencies and government-linked companies competed. The solution, built by the Penang Convention and Exhibition Bureau (PCEB), tracks short-term rental compliance under Penang’s STRA rules, which cap rentals at 180 days a year. The system requires guests to scan a QR code at the guardhouse before entering a property, automatically sharing their particulars with building management and local councils, and sends alerts if the annual limit is exceeded. PCEB’s J. Revin Samuel, a 28-year-old researcher, said the prototype was built using Amazon QuickSight. Penang Hill Corporation took first runner-up with a RM1,500 prize, while the State Assembly Department under the State Secretary’s Office (PSUKPP) received RM1,000 as second runner-up. The prototype will only move beyond the concept stage if the state government decides to adopt it.