Transcript Slide 1
US Competitor Overview Randy Guthrie – Microsoft Academic Developer Evanglist Agenda • • • • • • • What is the Imagine Cup? Why should I compete? What is the commitment? What if I don’t know a required technology? Mentors and sponsors Competition schedule Best practices What is the Imagine Cup? Microsoft Imagine Cup 2011 • International Computer technology competition – Five competitions & six special awards • Students enrolled in accredited academic institutions • Teams from 1 – 4 students + mentor + sponsor – Mentor get travel paid to US/World finals • Theme: “Imagine a World where Technology helps Solves the Worlds Toughest Problems – Heath, education, environment, hunger, equality, etc. Competitions Challenges (tbd) WW Envisioning 2020 WW Interop XNA Windows/XBOX WW Next Gen Web Mobile Zune/WP7 WW WP7 Web (Silverlight) WW IE 9 Software Design Game Design WW WW Embedded WW IT Challenge WW Media Why Should You Compete? Reasons to compete • Substitute for live client in Senior Capstone course – External feedback • Contest participation big resume differentiator • Competition provides broad learning opportunity – Presentation skills, business partnership, entrepreneurship • Finalists get huge career boost – PR, exposure to recruiters, start-up funding • Prizes – $$, travel, more PR, professional connections • Save the world Media Coverage Total Volume Key Messages Prime placements Prime Tone in Prime Total “viewers” Tweets Tweet reach Highlights “Play to Learn – Microsoft hopes to change how kids use computers” US 488 96% 24 137 3.8 2,500,000 3,357 3,700,000+ WW Finals Results US Finals Results Imagine Cup 2010 PR Results Topline BillGates: Imagine Cup, one of my favorite student programming events regional finals today on way to world finals in Poland - http://bit.ly/azQIPg Media Coverage Total Volume Key Messages Prime Tone in Prime Total “viewers” Tweets Tweet reach WW 1321+ 83% 136+ 3.7 26,895,592+ 12,500 10,100,00+ Placement volume by region Central/Eastern Europe 306 Asia/Pacific 295 U.S. 253 Western Europe 196 Latin America 110 Middle East/Africa 87 India 74 Total Volume 1321 What is the commitment? • • • • Business plan Software / hardware invention development Presentation video Travel time to US/World finals (paid by Microsoft) How do I learn Microsoft’s tech? Free Microsoft Resources • • • • • Free software from MSDNAA (via your school) Free software via http://www.dreamspark.com Learning links on http://www.imaginecup.com Free online training IT Academy Suite (via MSDNAA) Imagine Cup guides @ http://www.mislaboratory.com/Student • Live on-campus workshops by Microsoft Mentor & Sponsors Mentors and Sponsors • Mentor – Typically a faculty member – Provides guidance and support to the student team • Can contribute in any way that could result in a valid IP claim on the team’s project • Leverages campus resources to help the team • Sponsor – Typically someone from local industry – Provides domain expertise • Technical expertise • Knowledge of the problem space – May provide other resources • Hardware, funding, – Cannot contribute to the project in a way that could create a claim against the project IP Key Dates IC Key Dates US Controlled Competitions Fall Competition SDI Game Design Competition Embedded Game Design Challenges (TBD) Interop Next Gen Web WP7 IE 9 Round 1 End Oct 15th Oct 15th Round 2 End Nov 15th Nov 15th Spring Round 1 End Feb 14th Oct 15th Round 2 End Mar 14th Nov 15th Worldwide Controlled Competitions Round 1 End Round 2 End Jan 9 th March 7th May 5th April 27th Round 1 Deadline Round 2 Deadline TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD Finalist Ideas from the past couple years • Touch smart board app that is easy for teachers to create learning content • System the collect air samples and reports quality on a map • Facebook app that enables people to give microcredit loans • Mobile phone eye exam app & hardware mod • Crime reporting app using GPS and map software Finalist Ideas from the past couple years • • • • Spelling game that teaches words in other languages Vaccination info database and id device Automobile text message disabling device Tablet PC app & camera to help partially-sighted students • Software system to help autistic children enjoy road trips • Blog & Web news agent that can monitor changes in sentiment on a given subjecct Best Practices? Best Practices • Multi-Disciplinary Teams • Art/ User Interface Design / Video Production • Business Plan / Marketing / Spokesperson • Technical • Technical • Register & submit drafts early • Video should be very-high quality (its how project get judged) • External review of content • Mentor, sponsor, mock judging panel Resources http://blogs.msdn.com/MIS_Laboratory Imagine Cup US Competition Imagine Cup World Wide Competition Windows Phone 7 Developer Resources Windows Azure Developer Resources QUESTIONS?