Microsoft Imagine Cup, is the Olympics of Technology, which is sponsored and hosted by Microsoft, to solve the world's toughest problems, with the help of young developers from all around the world. Myself and my team, took part in Imagine Cup 2017, and went a long way through the competition, all the way to Seattle, where we competed with many great developers from all around the world. I'm writing this article, to give an introduction to Imagine Cup, to talk about the structure of the competition, and point out the important aspects in getting started with Imagine Cup. I would also like to share a little bit about the experience I had and the importance in taking part in Microsoft Imagine Cup.
This blog talk about the following aspects of the competition.
About Microsoft Imagine Cup
Structure of the competition
Why you should take part?
Steps on getting started
About Microsoft Imagine Cup
Microsoft Imagine Cup is a global annual competition hosted by Microsoft, in order to empower young developers to build unbelievable products using the power of technology, and enrich lives of many individuals around the world. The aim is to bring together student developers from around the world and resolve the world's toughest challenges. This is considered as the most prestigious competition in the world, in terms of computer science. Some consider this as the "Olympics of Technology" for computer science and engineering students, where its their chance to take home the Imagine Cup, alongside with many cash prizes, and bring glory to their country they represented from.
If I talk a little bit about the history of Imagine Cup, it all started in 2003, with the theme of "Imagine a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems." The aim was to gather all the talented individuals from all around the world, and give them the opportunity to showcase their talents to the entire world, in a global arena. In 2003, it started off with 1000 competitors from 25 countries and now it has grown up to more than 500,000 competitors representing 183 countries and regions.
The Imagine Cup world finals have been held in different countries, and since 2014 it has been held in Seattle, at the heart of Microsoft Head Quarters. Later the theme changed to "Code With Purpose" and then currently it is titled as, "Dream It, Build It, Live It."
Structure of the Competition
Microsoft Imagine Cup is structured in three main rounds.
National Finals
Regional Finals
World Finals
The teams that represent Imagine Cup, has to consist of a maximum of 3 members, where they are allowed to bring in a mentor to help them out with their project. From each country, the Microsoft Local Branch, organizes the national rounds, and selects a specific number of teams (generally one team), to represent the country. This is known as the National Rounds of Imagine Cup, and this is a tough competition, as the best of the entire country will be eligible to represent their country in the Imagine Cup.
Afterwards, the countries in the Asia Pacific Region (APac), will go through an additional round called the "Regional Rounds." In this, the teams will compete against 15 to 20 other teams, and 7-10 teams will be selected to take part in the world finals of Imagine Cup. This is more of a practice round for World Finals, but it is also important to be within the first few winners, so that you will be eligible to take part in the world finals.
Once you get through the regional rounds, you will be heading off to Seattle for the world finals of Microsoft Imagine Cup, where the competition gets tough and more delicate. You will start to see all the technology being put in front of you, by other teams, and the pressure starts building as the competition goes on. The world finals will have around 3-4 rounds, where there will be knockout rounds, depending on the number of teams taking part in the world finals. During this round, you need to bring out your "A" game, because you will be going against some of the toughest teams from around the globe. The very final round will consist of 3 teams, where the winner will be selected and awarded with the Microsoft Imagine Cup.
The rules of Imagine Cup have changed over the past few years, where they allowed a team of maximum 4 members to take part, and after 2017, it changed to a maximum of 3. Imagine Cup also had three main categories as Innovation, Gaming and World Citizenship. After 2017, this category concept was taken out, and all teams had to compete under one single category.
Why You Should Take Part
Microsoft Imagine Cup is one of the most prestigious competitions in the world, where its name it known by almost every tech company in the world. Taking part in Imagine Cup opens up a whole new side of you that will take you to a next level in your career, that brings you into a more wider perspective in how you would see the world and technology together. Given below are some reasons as to why you should take part in Imagine Cup.
1) Global Recognition: Microsoft Imagine Cup is a competition that is globally recognized and taking part in a competition like this will undoubtedly bring your CV, a value addition when you start applying for jobs, opportunities or even higher education streams.
2) Unmatched Experience: Teams who take part in Imagine Cup, surely must have had some sort of experience in local competitions, where the experience you get in Imagine Cup is unmatched and way above your expectations. You will learn how to speak to other competitors, interact with them, and meet with a variety of people who will approach you in different ways. This experience is really important in your career as that experience is what will give you the edge when moving up the ladder.
3) Exposure to Cutting-edge Technologies: Starting from new tech stuff introduced by different competitors, to Microsoft's ground breaking technologies, you will surely have enough of hands on experience to learn how all these really operates. People whose ideas are trapped inside of their own perceptions will break free and open up to newer and better ideas, when exposed to all of these technologies.
4) Networking with great individuals: At the competition, you will be mentored and monitored by some of the tech giants in the world, and you will be starting your own network with all of them, that will later help you in your career. I met some machine learning experts during my visit to the US, and I still consult them for my projects even now, where they help me without delay. You will also get a chance to interact with a lot of people from different countries, which will expend your social network from local to global.
5) Pride of Achievement: Imagine Cup is one of the toughest competitions you will ever face, and you will feel a great sense of self confidence once the competition is over, as you have gone through something that only some have the luck to go through. Next time you go into some other competition, you will feel very confident and recognized, which gives you an upper hand in building a strong character within yourself.
6) Free tours: This is my favorite part in Imagine Cup. Microsoft will sponsor for all your tours, accommodation and food, where we just have to sit back, enjoy and win the competition.
Steps on Getting Started
Imagine Cup is not a simple hackathon that you see in your university or country. This is a competition that challenges you and the world with the power of technology. In this section, I will tell you exactly how to get started in the competition in a step by step manner.
Step 1: Do adequate research about the competition and what kind of products have been developed so far. Just google for past imagine cup finals or winners and you will find plenty of videos where you can get an idea from. This step is for you to understand on the caliber needed to win this competition.
Step 2: Come up with a ground breaking idea, and start developing it. This has to be your own, unique idea that addresses a global issue. Always ensure that your idea is capable of solving a demanding problem.
Step 3: Visit the Imagine Cup Official Site and register your team and product. Please follow your local Microsoft Facebook page for updates related to the competition and the deadlines. These local Microsoft branches will give you enough information on how to qualify for the National Finals round.
Step 4: Make sure your product is ready and it is backed up by a proper presentation and a presenter.
Step 5: Take part in Imagine Cup and go from Nationals to World Finals into winning the Imagine Cup.