Devices and Services giant, Microsoft Nigeria has called on Nigerian students to participate in its annual Imagine Cup student technology competition aimed at encouraging students to create imaginative technology solutions that can solve some of the world’s toughest problems.
Now in its twelveth year, the competition has grown to become the world’s global student technology competition with more than 1.65 million students from more than 190 countries having participated in the Microsoft Imagine Cup annual competition from inception.
If you are a student and sixteen years or older as of 10 September 2013 and are or will be enrolled as a student of a University at any time between 1 January 2013 and 31 July 2014, then you are eligible to compete for the competition.
Students have until 12.00am, April 10th, 2014 to register for this year’s competition in our three main competitions — Games, Innovation, and World Citizenship. A team is made up to four eligible students and a mentor, who advises on the teams’ project.
Each competing team will make an original technology project from start to finish: come up with a great idea, make a plan, build a project, and submit it to Imagine Cup. It can be either purely software or a combination of software and hardware. It needs to use either Windows, Windows Phone, or Windows Azure.
[pull_quote_center]If you are a student and sixteen years or older as of 10 September 2013 and are or will be enrolled as a student of a University at any time between 1 January 2013 and 31 July 2014, then you are eligible to compete for the competition.[/pull_quote_center]In addition to the vast opportunities presented from competing on the world stage at the technology competition, participants in Imagine Cup stand to win cash prizes and grants. The National Finals selects the best teams from Nigeria who then enter the World Semifinals. The very best of teams at the World Semifinals in-turn wins a trip to Seattle in July 2014 for the Imagine Cup World Finals.
Last year’s winning application, CardioLife is a health care solution which helps prevent heart attacks by monitoring heart readings on the fly via the Microsoft Windows Phone. It also provides a rehabilitation programme for stroke patients using the Kinect sensor. The application, developed by Team Life Saver comprising of two students each from the Obafemi Awolowo University ( OAU) , Ile-Ife and the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomosho. It is a clear indication that Nigeria is blessed with talents and Microsoft will continue to provide the platform for Nigerian students to innovate.
In a statement made by Mr. Shina Oyetosho, Director, Developer and Platform Evangelist, Microsoft Anglophone, West Africa, ‘Team Life Saver did the country and continent proud last year, and we are hoping to see this year’s entries follow in their footsteps. There are so many challenges faced by our country, and we believe that the solutions to many of these problems lie in the power of technology and the potential imagination of our youths. We hope to see a record number of entries for this year’s competition.’
To accommodate the anticipated number of entries the national finals will hold in Lagos on April 24th 2014 while the Worldwide Finals, previously hosted in Spain, Brazil, Japan, India, Korea, France, Egypt, Poland, USA, Australia and Russia goes back home to Seattle, USA in July 2014.
Interested applicants are to register for the competition on www.imaginecup.com and follow up with news and updates about the competition on Imagine Cup Blog.