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Imagine Cup

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Imagine Cup is an annual competition sponsored and hosted by Microsoft Corp. which brings together young technologists worldwide to help resolve some of the world's toughest challenges. The Imagine Cup comprises five major technology competitions, including Software Design, and four challenges (although the challenge number is updated annually). All Imagine Cup competitors create projects that address the Imagine Cup theme: “Imagine a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems”. Started in 2003, it has steadily grown in size, where in 2010 more than 325,000 competitors representing 100 countries and regions registered for the Imagine Cup with 400 finalists coming to the Worldwide finals in Warsaw, Poland.[1]

History

The Imagine Cup began in 2003 with approximately 1,000 competitors from 25 countries and regions and has grown to more than 325,000 competitors representing more than 100 countries and regions in 2010. The Imagine Cup Worldwide finals have been held all over the globe. The Imagine Cup 2011 Worldwide Finals will be held in New York City, United States.[2]

  • 2003: Barcelona, Spain - Theme: Link between people, information, systems, and devices, using Web services and .NET as the springboard.
  • 2004: São Paulo, Brazil - Theme: Imagine a world where smart technology makes everyday life easier.
  • 2005: Yokohama, Japan - Theme: Imagine a world where technology dissolves the boundaries between us.
  • 2006: Agra & Delhi, India - Theme: Imagine a world where technology enables us to live healthier lives.
  • 2007: Seoul, South Korea - Theme: Imagine a world where technology enables a better education for all.
  • 2008: Paris, France - Theme: Imagine a world where technology enables a sustainable environment.
  • 2009: Cairo, Egypt - Theme: Imagine a world where technology helps solve the world's toughest problems.
  • 2010: Warsaw, Poland - Theme: Imagine a world where technology helps solve the world's toughest problems.
  • 2011: New York, United States - Theme: Imagine a world where technology helps solve the world's toughest problems.
  • 2012: Sydney, Australia - Theme: Imagine a world where technology helps solve the world's toughest problems.

Competition Structure

All Imagine Cup competitors create projects that address the Imagine Cup theme: “Imagine a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems.” Imagine Cup 2011 consists of five competitions, including: Software Design, Game Design, Embedded Development, Digital Media and Windows Phone 7. In addition, participants may also compete in four challenges, including: Orchard, IT, and Interoperability and Windows 7 Touch.

Competitions:

  • Software Design: The Software Design competition challenges students to use technology to solve what they consider to be the toughest problems facing the world today. Using Microsoft tools and technology, competitors create software applications. Students develop, test, and build their ideas into applications that can change the world.[3]
  • Embedded Development: The Embedded Development competition allows students to go beyond the desktop to build a complete hardware and software solution that addresses global societal problems.[4]
  • Game Design: The Game Design Competition challenges students to create a new game that illustrates the Imagine Cup theme.[5]
  • Digital Media: In the Digital Media competition, teams create web video submissions that address the Imagine Cup theme.[6]
  • Windows Phone 7: The Windows Phone 7 competition challenges students to create applications for Windows Phone 7 that address the Imagine Cup theme.[7]

Challenges:

  • IT: The object of the IT Challenge is to highlight the art and science of developing, deploying, and maintaining IT systems that are efficient, functional, robust and secure.[8]
  • Interoperability: The Interoperability Challenge is designed to recognize the software application that best leverages out-of-the-box Microsoft technologies and blends them with other technologies to connect people, data, or diverse systems in a new way.[9]
  • Orchard: The Orchard Challenge tasks students with creating applications that can be used online, such as a shopping cart and checkout system, video gallery or maps and geolocation services.[10]
  • Windows 7 Touch: The Windows 7 Touch Challenge tasks students with leveraging Windows 7 Touch technology to help people use their computer in a more natural, accessible, and interactive way.[11]

Criticism

The Microsoft Corporation has been criticized for including provisions in the competition's legal documents, stating that by accepting their prizes, winners agree to allow Microsoft to use concepts, techniques, ideas or solutions from the winning applications "for any purpose." Also, the competition has been criticized for being rather Microsoft-centric, with demands such as "the entry must be designed on .NET Framework 2.0 using Microsoft Visual Studio" or "30% of the scoring in this round will be based on use of showcasing the .NET framework".[12]

Microsoft's Rules and Regulations,[13] however, contains a section stating that students' intellectual property will be respected, and that neither Imagine Cup competition nor Microsoft claim ownership of the materials provided by the competitors. It is important to highlight that for the sake of the judgment, internal elements of the solution might be made public to the judges.

Winners

There are a number of competitions and challenges within the Imagine Cup. The Software Design category is the primary competition in which its winners take home the Imagine Cup trophy.

Software Design

Year Gold Silver Bronze
2004 France Team EPITA[14]
Aymeric Gaurat Apelli
Francois Beaussier
Guillaume Belmas
Vincent Vergonjeanne
2005 Russia Team OmniMusic[15]
Stanislav Vonog
Nikolay Surin
Alexander Popov
Ruslan Gilfanov
2006 Italy Team Even .ctor-
Giorgio Sardo
Massimo Paternoster
Silvia Perrone
Andrea Sossich
2007 Thailand Team 3KC
Prachaya Phaisanwiphatpong
Vasan Chienmaneetaweesin
Jatupon Sukkasem
Pathompol Saeng-Uraiporn
2008 Australia Team SOAK[16]
David Burela
Edward Hooper
Dimaz Pramudnya
Long Zheng
2009 Romania Team Sytech
Adrian Buzgar
Calin Juravle
Andreas Resios
2010[17] Thailand Team Skeek
Krithee Sirisith
Pichai Sodsai
Thanasunn Dilokpinitnun
Nonthawat Srichad. 		Serbia Team TFZR New Zealand Team OneBeep
2011[18] Republic of Ireland Team Hermes
James McNamara
Calum Cawley
Matthew Padden
Aine Conaghan 		United States Team Note-Taker Jordan OaSys

Embedded Development Competition

Year Gold Silver Bronze
2007 Brazil Team TriventDreams ED
2008 Singapore Team Trail Blazers
2009 South Korea Team Wafree
2010 [17] Taiwan Team SmarterME Russia Team MCPU France Team GERAS
2011 [18] Taiwan NTHUCS China Harmonicare Romania Endeavour_Design

Game Design

Year Gold Silver Bronze
2008 Brazil Team Mother Gaia Studio
2009 Brazil Team LEVV It
2010 [17] Philippines Team By Implication Belgium NomNom Productions France Green Gears Studio
2011 Mobile[18] France Geekologic France Close World Mobile United States Team Dragon
2011 Web[18] Poland Cellardoor Philippines Signum Fidei Slovakia Quegee Team
2011 Windows/Xbox[18] Brazil Signum Games Thailand JubJub Czech Republic WickedTeam

IT Challenge

Year Gold Silver Bronze
2009 Romania Cosmin Ilie
2010[17] China WeiQiu Wen Bolivia Miklos Cari Sivila Singapore zxc1984
2011 [18] France Jean-Sébastien Duchêne Poland Błażej Matuszyk Singapore Yunheng Mong

Digital Media

Year Gold Silver Bronze
2010[17] Taiwan Mirror Vita Saudi Arabia Dreaming Spirits Singapore Woolgathering
2011 [18] Romania M.N.A. Oman Brothers Forever Taiwan CottonCandy

Windows 7 Touch Challenge

Year Gold Silver Bronze
2011 [18] France Team India Rose
Anthony Froissant
José Martins 		Indonesia _dreambender_ Japan IUVO

Innovation Accelerator

The Imagine Cup Innovation Accelerator was a program that, between 2006 and 2008, provided Imagine Cup Software Design teams with direction on the next stage of developing their innovative ideas into a business. Each year, between 2006-2008, six teams were selected for the Innovation Accelerator program. Participants in the Innovation Accelerator program travelled travelled to the Microsoft Mountain View campus in Silicon Valley and received technical support and business coaching to create the must-have technology and communications applications of the future. In 2010, Microsoft began inviting every Imagine Cup team to participate in its new program for startups: Microsoft BizSpark.[19] With this program, startups receive access to current, full-featured software development tools and platforms.[20]

Previous teams include:

Student Recognition

Imagine Cup participants from around the world who won their regional competitions in 2010 have been recognized by their government leaders.[21] In October 2010, two Imagine Cup 2010 United States finalists (Wilson To from the Mobilife team and Christian Hood from BeastWare) were invited to participate in the White House Science Fair. New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Hon. John Key sent Team OneBeep from New Zealand a personal letter that congratulated them on their third place finish. Team Skeek from Thailand, winners of the 2010 Software Design competition, met Dr. Khunying Kalaya Sophonpanich, a member of Parliament and Secretary General of The Rajapruek Institute Foundation. Microsoft Poland and members of the European Parliament hosted the “Pushing the Boundaries of Innovation” conference in Brussels. Imagine Cup teams from Poland (fteams and Mutants), Serbia (TFZR), Germany (Mediator), and Belgium (Nom Nom Productions) were in attendance. Greek Imagine Cup winners, Giorgos Karakatsiotis and Vangos Pterneas met with the Prime Minister of Greece, George Papandreou, and demonstrated their project that creates personalized descriptions of museum exhibits based on the user's needs. Teams Xormis and Educ8 from Jamaica were honored with a special luncheon hosted by the Government of Jamaica that included an address from Hon. Bruce Golding, the prime minister. Team Think Green had the opportunity to meet with Ivo Josipovic, President of Croatia.[22]

References

  1. ^ "Imagine Cup official site". Imaginecup.com. Retrieved 2010-08-12.
  2. ^ "2010 Imagine Cup Worldwide Finals Fact Sheet". 2010-07-08.
  3. ^ Imagine Cup (2010-09-01). "Imagine Cup Official Rules".
  4. ^ Imagine Cup (2010-09-01). "Imagine Cup Official Rules".
  5. ^ Imagine Cup (2010-09-01). "Imagine Cup Official Rules".
  6. ^ Imagine Cup (2010-09-01). "Imagine Cup Official Rules".
  7. ^ Imagine Cup (2010-09-01). "Imagine Cup Official Rules".
  8. ^ Imagine Cup (2010-09-01). "Imagine Cup Official Rules".
  9. ^ Imagine Cup (2010-10-29). "Imagine Cup Blog".
  10. ^ Imagine Cup (2010-10-29). "Imagine Cup Blog".
  11. ^ Imagine Cup (2010-12-01). "Imagine Cup Blog".
  12. ^ Kevin Shockey (2005-11-30). "Stark criticism of Microsoft's Imagine Cup - O'Reilly ONLamp Blog". Oreillynet.com. Retrieved 2010-08-12.
  13. ^ "Imagine Cup 2011 Official Rules". Imaginecup.com. Retrieved 2010-08-12.
  14. ^ Imagine Cup (2010-12-01). [http:// http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2004/jul04/07-06champions04pr.mspx "Microsoft Presspass"]. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  15. ^ Imagine Cup (2005-09-11). "The Star".
  16. ^ Brett Winterford (2008-07-09). "ZDNet.com".
  17. ^ a b c d e Justin Robinson (2010-07-09). "Atomic.edu".
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h "Press Release". Microsoft News Center. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
  19. ^ Chuck Lawton (2010-07-26). "Wired.com".
  20. ^ BizSpark (2010-07-26). "BizSpark".
  21. ^ Microsoft (2010-10-27). "Microsoft on the Issues Blog".
  22. ^ Microsoft (2010-10-04). "Imagine Cup Croatia".

See also

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