Students’ finalists travel to Sydney to participate at Microsoft's tenth Imagine Cup technology design competition kicking off in Australia on the 6th of July 2012, to show off their technological innovations.
The competition encourages students around the world to enter the fields of game design, software design, and software development by challenging them to find solutions to real world problems using technology.
This year, the competition includes students’ projects relying on the theme: "Imagine a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems". Previous themes have included "Imagine a world where smart technology makes everyday life easier", and "Imagine a world where technology enables a sustainable environment."
Microsoft’s Imagine Cup is all about students. It’s not about Microsoft, it is not about technology. The hardest thing for a software developer is not getting an idea about what to create, it is about the ability to bring the idea to market, the ability to sell the ideas.
Through this competition, Microsoft wants to give students the opportunity, and the platform to succeed and to monetize their thinking.
During the finals, the teams have to give presentations on the projects they have developed, respond to feedback from judges, refine their games, and convince the judges that their game exemplifies the Imagine Cup theme without compromising on entertainment.
The game design competition is the biggest it has ever been this year, with 20 teams making it through to the finals. The competition is divided into Xbox/Windows and mobile development, both of which encourage students to develop a game that is not only entertaining but illustrates the Imagine Cup 2012 theme.
