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U.S. Imagine Cup Software Design Competition

Your mission is simple: create real-world software and service applications that use Microsoft technologies, and address the U.S. Imagine Cup theme of imagining a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems.

Think Global. Start Local. The 2010 Imagine Cup theme is: “Imagine a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems.” When considering your project, get inspired and educated by reviewing the eight United Nations Millennium Development Goals.

The competition pushes you to use your creativity and drive to make it to the Worldwide Finals stage. This is where legends are born and lives are changed—where an application starts as an idea and ends up making a difference.

Here's how it works:

• Create a team of up to four people, 16 years or older, including you. Ask a teacher or business professional to mentor your team—it helps!
• Register your team for the competition. You can compete in the fall or spring competitions, or both.
• Get to work on the business plan for your project and build some code for Round 1. If you need a starting point, download our template Business Plan. Then we'll review your entry, and everyone is automatically included in Round 2 of the competition.
• From Round 2 entries, we'll judge your working prototype, updated business plan, and 3–5 minute video.
• Ten finalists (five teams from the fall and five from the spring) will move on to the U.S. Finals in the spring. (If you compete in the fall but don't make the finals, you can keep working on your project and re-enter in the spring!)
• Have a mobile application? We judge those separately, and offer a unique reward for the best mobile application in the Software Design Competition.
• The ten finalists will be flown to Washington, D.C., to compete for the grand prize—a trip to Poland for the Imagine Cup Worldwide Finals and $8,000 in cash!
• Be sure to check out the U.S. Imagine Cup Software Design Competition Official Rules for judging criteria and all the details you need to know.

You can submit your project as soon as today, but the deadlines are:

• Fall Round 1: October 9, 2009
• Fall Round 2: November 20, 2009
• Spring Round 1: February 1, 2010
• Spring Round 2: March 15, 2010
• U.S. Finals: April 2010

What you'll need to provide:

• Fall and Spring Round 1
  • Business Plan (download the required template)
  • Wireframes or prototype (optional)
• Fall and Spring Round 2
  • Working prototype.
    • All Software must have been developed either using Microsoft Visual Studio or Microsoft Silverlight technologies.
    • Your software must be developed for working on either a browser (Internet Explorer 7 or later) or a Windows operating system (Windows XP SP2, Windows Vista, or Windows 7).
    • The content of the software must address a social cause connected to the 2010 Imagine Cup theme: “Imagine a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems.”
    • All entry materials must be submitted and presented in the English language.
  • Updated business plan
  • A video (at least three minutes, but not more than five minutes)
• U.S. Finals
  • Up to three (3) different 20-minute live presentations and 10-minute Q&A of the software application
  • Beta version of the software application

Cash Prizes (to be shared equally among team members):

• Grand Prize: $8,000
• First Prize: $4,000
• Second Prize: $3,000