Imagine Cup 2012

“Imagine a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems.”

The Microsoft Imagine Cup is the world’s premier student technology competition. It provides an opportunity for students to use their creativity, passion, and knowledge of technology to help solve global challenges and make a difference in the world. While competing for cash and prizes, students gain real-life experiences, make new friends, and change the world.

Now in its tenth year, the Imagine Cup has grown to be a truly global competition focused on finding solutions to real-world problems. 358,000 students representing 183 countries and regions registered for the Imagine Cup 2011 Competition. The Imagine Cup is one way Microsoft encourages the brightest young minds to join together and use technology to take on the toughest problems facing our world today, whether it is combatting diseases, improving education or creating disaster communication systems.

How is Microsoft UK supporting Imagine Cup 2012?

This year we have changed our approach to the Imagine Cup competition in the UK.

Universities have the opportunity to hold local finals for the Software Design competition, to find the best team and project to represent their institution. The winning team of each institution that runs a local final is guaranteed a place in the UK final of the Imagine Cup, judged by a panel of the industry’s brightest and most influential business minds. Teams that do not win their local final can enter online for the chance to win a place in the Imagine Cup UK final.

Students who do not enter the Software Design competition through their institution are still eligible to submit projects into the Online Competition, judged by Microsoft, for a place in the UK final of the Imagine Cup.

Institution Competition

Eligibility

To qualify for the Institution Competition:

1. The institution must commit to have a minimum of three teams entering the Imagine Cup 2012 Software Design competition. Two or more institutions can choose to run a joint competition, but only one winning team will be guaranteed a place in the UK final.

2. Each team must have one faculty mentor.

3. All competitors are bound by the Rules and Regulations of the worldwide Imagine Cup 2012 competition.

4. The Institution Competition must be clearly promoted as being part of the Imagine Cup.

5. The Institution must notify Microsoft of their interest in running a local Imagine Cup competition by sending an e-mail to ukfac@microsoft.com no later than 17:00 on Wednesday 30^th November 2011.

Benefits

The benefits of holding an Institution Competition include:

· The winning team from the Institution Competition is automatically through to the UK Imagine Cup Software Design final.

· Employees from Microsoft will be available to sit on the judging panel of the local final.

· Microsoft will endeavour to identify local technology companies that can offer industry mentors to the student teams.

· Microsoft will offer prizes to winners and runner-ups of local finals.

· Microsoft will provide Imagine Cup marketing materials to the Institution

· Microsoft will highlight the Institution Competition in blogs, on our web site and other channels.

· Teams from the Institution Competition that do not win their local final can enter the online competition for a place in the Imagine Cup UK final.

Get your students to register for Imagine Cup 2012.

Online Competition

The Online Competition will be for student teams who haven’t entered through their institutions or who have not won their Institution Competition for Software Design. Software Design teams entering through the Online Competition have the option to submit partially complete projects prior to the final deadline for review by, and feedback from, Microsoft.

All entrants of the Game Design and IT Challenge competitions must also enter online.

Get your students to register for Imagine Cup 2012.

Key Dates

For any questions or more information please email ukfac@microsoft.com

See last year’s Imagine Cup winner Team Hermes from Ireland

See Team Note-Taker from the USA’s entry here.