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Imagine Cup IT Challenge Competition

The IT Challenge Competition asks students develop, deploy, and maintain rock-solid IT systems that are efficient, functional, robust and secure. You know, the ones that send hackers home with their tails between their legs. The IT Challenge helps prepare students to be IT professionals, testing their ability to interpret customer needs, and manage configurations that require an intimate understanding of how all the pieces of a network fit together.

Get a bit more info below, or hit up the Imagine Cup World Wide site to compete in the IT Challenge Competition.

Here's how it works:

• Register on the Imagine Cup World Wide site, and complete the first challenge; one of four IT Challenge Quizzes. These are the dates of the quizzes:

  Quiz	Start Date (all times 00:01 [12:01] GMT)	End Date (all times 23:59 [11:59] GMT)
  #1	November 16, 2009	November 16, 2009
  #2	December 16, 2009	December 16, 2009
  #3	January 7, 2010	January 7, 2010
  #4	January 30, 2010	January 30, 2010

• You can take the quiz of your choice at any time during any one of the above listed 24 hour periods - just be aware that the end time is in GMT (that's 5 hours ahead of the East coast, 8 hours ahead of the West coast)
• You're able to take each quiz more than once during the 24 period that each test is offered.
• You'll be given 60 minutes for each 30-question quiz.
• As long as one of your scores is 15 or higher, you'll automatically advance to Round 2!

What are the quizzes about?

The questions will challenge the individual in their knowledge around Windows Server 2008 R2, Hyper-V Virtualization, Exchange 2007/2010, SharePoint 2007, Windows 7, System Center Operations Manager 2007, System Center Configuration Manager 2007, ISA 2006, SQL 2008, Office 2007, Office Communication Server 2007, and Windows Mobile. This exam will have a unique blend of questions that will challenge competitors in their knowledge of these Microsoft technologies.

What comes next?

• If you successfully advance to compete in Round 2 of the IT Challenge, you will compete against other Round 2 participants around the world in a single case study submission.
• The Round 2 case study will provide a scenario that will test an individual's ability to reason through, and describe, the architecture and method of implementation of a Microsoft networking environment. You’ll need to respond to the case study via an essay-based submission.
• The scenario will include the Microsoft technologies covered in the quizzes, with key hints and clues on how to complete your case study provided through the IT Challenge Facebook page.
• The top six (6) competitors from Round 2 that submit case studies, representing 6 different countries, will advance to the Final Competition.

And Finally…

• If invited to advance to the Final Competition, you will compete in a hands-on virtual lab against the top 6 competitors (one per country) on your practical knowledge of IT solutions.
• During this round, the competitors will be asked to demonstrate, during a timed competition, their experience, and expertise in a theme that matches the Imagine Cup 2010 theme "Imagine a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems".

Prizes:

Final Competition - Hands-On Virtual Lab: The top 3 finalists will receive a trip to the Worldwide Finals in Poland.

In addition, the top 3 finalists will receive one of the following cash prizes:

• First Place: $8,000 USD
• Second Place: $4,000 USD
• Third Place: $3,000 USD

Visit www.imaginecup.com for more information.