Imagine Cup is a global technology and innovation competition, which is made up of 9 distinct competition categories. The Software Design Challenge is the only challenge competed locally. All other categories are competed globally. There are
two key aspects to the competition. Firstly there is a theme that the project needs to be aligned with and secondly, each category has its own
project requirements which must be adhered to.
To participate in one or more Imagine Cup categories, you need to be 16 years of age or older; and you need to be actively enrolled as a student at an accredited NZ educational institution at any time between January 1, 2008 and May 31, 2009. So you can be a high school student, a tertiary student, post graduate student, masters student. With the exception of the Software Design Competition, you can enter the other categories as an individual. The Software Design competition requires a minimum of 2 students to form a team. The categories that are competed globally are conducted online. You will need to register and submit your projects online for each round. If you are successful and enter the final round, you will be invited to attend the World Wide Finals and an all expenses paid trip to the World Wide Finals.
You can check out our FAQ page or email us at icnz@microsoft.com to talk to one of our NZ Imagine Cup Organisers
In 2009, the Imagine Cup challenges the world's most talented students to "Imagine a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems facing us today." Some might use technology to help a brother or sister get an education. Or find entirely new approaches for medicine. Or discover ways to counter the inequalities that exist between genders around the world. Some might ensure the sustainability of our planet or help deliver universal primary education. Yeah, it's that important.
The United Nations has identified some of the hardest challenges in the world today in its Millennium Goals. This year the Imagine Cup uses these ambitious challenges as a guiding light to inspire change all over the world. Learn more about the eight Millennium Goals.
 | This is the only challenge that is first run locally, the winning team from the country finals will be sent to the World Wide Finals to compete. We are asking students to create real world software and services applications that use Microsoft tools and technology. It's not just about the PC anymore - students need to think about taking advantage of mobile devices as well. Think big! The judging requires students to use their creativity and drive if they want to compete on the world stage. |
 | The object of the Embedded Development competition is to unleash students' creativity in and effort to change the world into a better place. They will develop their own embedded device whose function it is to better us all. |
 | The object of the Game Development competition is to create a new game that uses both Microsoft's XNA Game Studio 3.0 and Visual Studio. Competitors' games should illustrate the Imagine Cup theme "Imagine a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems facing us today." This is a chance for students who've always enjoyed playing games to create their own game and at the same time help change the global community. |
 | Robots need more than gears and wires - they require highly sophisticated algorithms to interpret and interact with the world around them. This competition is a mathematical obstacle course where students must navigate a series of brain teasers, code challenges and algorithmic puzzles to demonstrate their ability to understand the potential of robots in our world. |
 | Students are challenged to develop, deploy, and maintain IT systems that are elegant, functional, robust and secure. This demanding competition requires students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in the science of networks, databases, and servers. They also need to show their analytical abilities and make tough decisions in IT environments.
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 | The object of the MashUp competition is to create a new and useful Web 2.0 application that is connected to the Imagine Cup theme "Imagine a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems facing us today." |
 | Great photographers know a single image can change the world. In this competition, students communicate a story that explores a critical issue through a photo essay of inspiring still images. |
 | Filmmaking is both a technical craft and storytelling art. In this competition, students must use all their skills to create a moving, meaningful short film. From concept and storyboard to shooting digital footage and editing, students must find their unique voice and capture the audience's imagination. |
 | The object of the Design Invitational is to create a solution of an innovative design for easier machines and human interactions by inspiring students to use the power of technology as means to manifest their creativeness. The new, innovative design must bring a real benefit and address the challenges of the 2009 Imagine Cup Theme. Find out more on the Design Competition |
The first step is to register for the competition. Once you have registered, the NZ Imagine Cup Team will be in touch to inform you of the next steps.
Form a team of between two to four students. Register your team name. The NZ Imagine Cup Team will then assign each competing team with an Industry Mentor to work with. The sooner you register the sooner we can provide you a mentor. Once your industry mentor is assigned to your team then you need to think of an idea that aligns with the theme. The theme is very general so you could potentially use a project you are working on right now as an entry. There are a few project requirements that you need to consider.
Once you have created your team, your academic and industry mentors and an idea, then you need to plan how you will work on the project until the end of the competition - 31st March (ROUND 1). It is completely up to you how much effort you put into the project. You can take some time off for a holiday or you could spend a day each week working on the project. The biggest value of taking part in the competition is working with your Industry Mentor, it is up to you and your team to take full advantage of this. The NZ Imagine Cup Team will also be able to provide support and assistance when necessary.
Submissions: There are altogether 2 major submissions involved with the NZ Software Design competition.
1. Project Proposal Submission - Each team is required to provide an overview document explaining the solution and how it relates to the theme of the competition. The document should include a short description of your project, possible user scenarios, functional and non-functional requirements, summary of application components, architectural overview, technologies and resources used in the application. There is no fixed deadline for this submission, however we encourage all teams to submit this before you start working on your projects so the Imagine Cup Admin Team can provide constructive feedback. This is not assessed
2. Final Project Submission - The final project submission will be due prior to the preliminary finals of the NZ competition. This is due on the 31st of March 2009 by 5pm. The final project deliverables include:
| Prize Draw One - Winners Announced: | Prize Draw Two - Winners Announced: |
| Chris Lowther | Ashlyn Nand |
| Jessica Blackmore | William Sando |
| Andy Ellis | Brock Ennion |
| Andrew Esler | Grace Lin |
| Dominic Winkler | Julius Hsu |
| Edward Peek | Luan You |
| Matthew Harward | Thi Senaratne |
| Jevilene Leleisivao | Shingo Aoyama |
| Tanee Morrison | Shipra Mahindra |
| Rishi Sharma |
