Imagine Cup is an annual competition sponsored and hosted by Microsoft Corp. which brings together student developers worldwide to help resolve some of the world's toughest challenges. It is considered as "Olympics of Technology" by computer science and engineering and is considered one of the top competitions and awards related to technology and software design. All Imagine Cup competitors create projects that address the Imagine Cup theme: "Imagine a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems". Started in 2003, it has steadily grown, with more than 2 million competitors representing 150 countries in 2022. The 2023 Imagine Cup World Championship was held in Seattle, United States.
History
The Imagine Cup began in 2003 with approximately 1,000 competitors from 25 countries and regions and has grown to more than 2 million competitors representing 150 countries in 2022. The Imagine Cup World Championship has been held all over the globe. Since 2014, the Imagine Cup World Championship has been held in Seattle, United States. 2003: Barcelona, Spain – Theme: Link between people, information, systems, and devices, using Web services and. NET as the springboard. 2004: São Paulo, Brazil – Theme: Imagine a world where smart technology makes everyday life easier. 2005: Yokohama, Japan – Theme: Imagine a world where technology dissolves the boundaries between us. 2006: Agra & Delhi, India – Theme: Imagine a world where technology enables us to live healthier lives. 2007: Seoul, South Korea – Theme: Imagine a world where technology enables a better education for all. 2008: Paris, France – Theme: Imagine a world where technology enables a sustainable environment. 2009: Cairo, Egypt – Theme: Imagine a world where technology helps solve the world's toughest problems. 2010: Warsaw, Poland – Theme: Imagine a world where technology helps solve the world's toughest problems. 2011: New York City, United States – Theme: Imagine a world where technology helps solve the world's toughest problems. 2012: Sydney, Australia – Theme: Imagine a world where technology helps solve the world's toughest problems. 2013: Saint Petersburg, Russia – Theme: All dreams are now welcome. 2014: Seattle, United States 2015: Seattle, United States 2016: Seattle, United States 2017: Seattle, United States 2018: Seattle, United States 2019: Seattle, United States 2020: Digital event at Microsoft Build in Seattle, United States 2021: Digital event at Microsoft Build in Seattle, United States 2022: Seattle, United States 2023: Seattle, United States
Competition structure
All Imagine Cup competitors create projects that address the Imagine Cup theme: “Imagine a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems.”
Competitions Software DesignThe Software Design competition challenges participants to use technology to solve what they consider to be the toughest problems facing the world today. Using Microsoft tools and technology, competitors create software applications. Participants develop, test, and build their ideas into applications that can change the world. Game DesignThe Game Design Competition challenges participants to create a new game that illustrates the Imagine Cup theme.
Winners There are a number of competitions and challenges within the Imagine Cup. The Software Design category is the primary competition in which its winners take home the Imagine Cup trophy.
Software Design 2004 Team EPITAAymeric Gaurat ApelliFrancois BeaussierGuillaume BelmasVincent Vergonjeanne Team Inspiration Stanislav Vonog Nikolay Surin Konstantin Zhereb Taras Kushko Team SmartEyesEleni KorkontzilaDimitrios BisiasStyliani TaplidouNikolaos Trichakis2005 Team OmniMusic Stanislav Vonog Nikolay Surin Alexander Popov Ruslan Gilfanov2006 Team Even.ctorGiorgio SardoMassimo PaternosterSilvia PerroneAndrea Sossich Team TrivialCarlos RodriguesIvan CardimMadson MenezesTeam NTNUJan-Kristian MarkiewiczGøran HansenHans Olav NorheimJonas Follesø2007 Team 3KCPrachaya PhaisanwiphatpongVasan ChienmaneetaweesinJatupon SukkasemPathompol Saeng-Uraiporn Team En#605/Project Finger CodePrachaya PhaisanwiphatpongVasan ChienmaneetaweesinJatupon SukkasemPathompol Saeng-Uraiporn Team ICAD Imran Allie Conroy Smith Ayson Baxter Damion Mitchel2008 Team SOAKDavid BurelaEdward HooperDimaz PramudnyaLong Zheng Team HousekeepersDusan ZelenikJakub SimkoMichal KompanMarian Honsch2009 Team SytechAdrian BuzgarCalin JuravleAndreas Resios Team VitalLabMaxim BovykinSergey FedorovDenis GnatyukAlexey Klishin2010 Team Skeek Krithee SirisithPichai SodsaiThanasunn DilokpinitnunNonthawat Srichad Team TFZR Zlatibor VeljkovićMilan KojadinovićGoran NikolićVanja Zavišin Team OneBeepVinny LohanSteve WardKayo LakadiaChanyeol Yoo2011 Team HermesJames McNamaraCalum CawleyMatthew PaddenAine Conaghan Team Note-TakerQian YanShashank SrinivasDavid HaydenMichael Astrauskas Team OaSys Yousef WadiMohammad AzzamMonir Abu HilalHani Abu Huwaij2012 Team quadSquadStepanov AntonPosternikov AntonOsika MaximJasakov Valery2013 Team For a Better World 2014 Team Eyenamia2015 Team EFitFashion2016 Team ENTy2017 Team X.Glu2018 Team SmartArm2019 Team EasyGlucose Bryan Chiang Team Caeli Bharat Sundal Team Finderr Ferdinand LoeschChoon Kiat LeeSachin Sriskanda
Office Designer 2005 Team Solvent-ODAndre FurtadoAdeline SilvaMadson MenezesRaony Araujo Team FIBRASergey DuboviPavel ZadumkinDmitry KozlovAnastasiya Filinova Team PaladinLiu TeifengYang YongzhiHe CongYang Lizhen
Web Development 2007 Team APBBenjamin TalmardThomas AlbisserPierrick BlonsSebastien Lam Team Red DawnMohamed AlsalehiMarouf Azad Team Frontfree Studio-WebJiasheng GuoWeining ShaXia XiaoZhenda Zhao
Embedded Development Competition 2007 Team TriventDreams ED Andre Furtado Carlos Rodrigues Ivan Cardim Roberto Sonnino2008 Team Trail Blazers Team AcidRain Team Wings Team Aero@PUT2009 Team Wafree Team iSee2010 Team SmarterME Team MCPU Team GERAS2011 NTHUCS Harmonicare Endeavour_Design
Interoperability Challenge 2008 SKAN Sameet Singh KhajuriaKarun ABAmith GeorgeNoel Sequeira Ecologix Carlos Eduardo RodriguesEduardo SonninoRenato FerreiraRoberto Sonnino Together Dariusz WalczakMarcin WrzosPiotr SikoraTomasz Nowak2009 Proativa Team Amirton ChagasFlavio AlmeidaJoao Paulo Oliveira SantosLucas Mello ECRAM Mohammed Y. EshbeataLaith DawahirWassim Shehadeh Fteams Tomasz CiejkaGrzegorz GlonekJacek PinteraKrzysztof Szokal-Egird2010 Xormis Shawn McleanDerron BrownDwayne SamuelsMarkel Mairs Uptiva Dreams IT Hugo RodriguesEdmiel LeandroDaniel FerreiraEduardo Sonnino Chandradimuka Yudha AntawiryawanKania AudrintAnggunmeka Luhur PrasastiWidyara Desgita2011 Team AlaniaridesGiorgos KarakatsiotisVangos Pterneas Bells TeamDaniel FerreiraLucas MelloAmirton ChagasJoao Paulo dos Santos Oliveira DemosceneSpiritLukasz MichniewiczSzymon MajewskiMarek BanaszakMagdalena Dudarska
Game Design 2008 Team Mother Gaia Studio Rafael Costa Guilhermr Campos Helena Van Kampen Tulio Marques Soria Drunk Puppy Productions Kenny Deriemaeker Timothy Vanherberghen Filip Van Bouwel Jeroen Van Raevels GomZ Dong HoonKim KiHwan Kim Min My Park2009 Team LEVV It Luciano José Edgar Neto Vinícius Ottoni Victor Rafael Epsylon Games Sanguine Labs2010 Team By Implication NomNom Productions Green Gears Studio2011 Mobile Geekologic Close World Mobile Team Dragon Pierre Elias Eric Lee Veronica Burkel Chase Sandmann2011 Web Cellardoor Signum Fidei Thomas Tiam-Lee Jenina Chua Jeriah Miranda Keven Hernandez Quegee Team2011 Windows/Xbox Signum Games JubJub WickedTeam2012 Windows/Xbox TANG Thai2014 Brainy Studio BOMON Illogic2015 IzHard Kuality Games Thief2016 PH21
IT Challenge 2005 Stefan Plizga Emanuel Pentescu Andreas Tomek2006 Andreas Tomek Valy Greavu Daniel Boteanu 2007 Zhifeng Chen Romain Larmet Ilie Cosmin Viorel2008 Jean-Benoit Paux Cosmin Ilie Yan Liu2009 Cosmin Ilie Wu Chang Miklos Cari Sivila 2010 WeiQiu Wen Miklos Cari Sivila zxc19842011 Jean-Sébastien Duchêne Błażej Matuszyk Yunheng Mong
Digital Media 2010 Mirror Vita Dreaming Spirits Woolgathering2011 M.N.A. Brothers Forever CottonCandy
Health Awareness Awards 2012 FifthElement Project Matteo Valoriani Antimo Musone Daniele Midi Antonio VecchioN/AN/A
Connected Planet Award 2013 Y Nots N/AN/A
Microsoft Azure (Cloud) 2013 Y Nots nLife LetssGo
Windows Phone 2011 HOMERUN Zipi Zigi LifelensTristan GibeauCy KhormaeeWilson ToJason Wakizaka2012 VividNoureldien Hussein (Nour El-Dien Hussein)Muhammad El-OrabiKariem El-Shazly The StackKarol Stosik AaltovationApurva JaiswalIrena ProchkovaGitanjali SachdevaMaimuna Syed
Windows 7 Touch Challenge 2011 Team India RoseAnthony FroissantJosé Martins _dreambender_ IUVO
World Citizenship Competition 2013 For a Better World Omni-Hearing Solution Foodbank Local2014 Eyenaemia SMART Crew Access EarthMatthew McCannJack GallagherKC GrantDonal McClean2015 Virtual Dementia Experience Mozter Prognosis2016 AMANDA Night's Watch InSimu
Innovation Competition 2013 soundSYNK Robert ParkerAlex BochenskiJonathan NeumannEdward Noel Dora SkyPACS2014 Estimeet Hayden Do Jason Wei Chris Duan Derek Zhu Tep ButterFly2015 eFitFashion NoObs Team Siymb2016 ENTy Bit Masters HealthX
Facebook Creativity Award 2014 ij Developers2013 Team Ayni
AppCampus Award 2014 Tep Brainy Studio
Skype Award 2014 Drive Social Impact Eyenaemia Learning and Education Code Buzzers Innovate and Collaborate Super Sea Dragons
Visual Studio Online Boost 2014 Genesis LeapKin Tutus flipped.uy RELOAD Learn n' Earn BiDE Code AfriGal Tech Flow
Apps For Office Challenge 2014 iGeek CodeBlue
Windows & Windows Phone Challenge 2014 Pomato Apps
User Experience Challenge 2014 World Citizenship Team HCI/d Games Team Silicon Innovation Hiraya Gabriel Eric Villanueva Jomarie Anne Marquez Neo John Tuquero
Pitch Video Challenge 2014 World Citizenship Team Symbiote Games Team Sticky Bits Innovation Team Mote Labs 2015 World Citizenship Rapid Response
Project Blueprint Challenge 2014 World Citizenship Team Life Up Games Liaison Team Innovation YouBeRu
Innovation Accelerator The Imagine Cup Innovation Accelerator was a program that, between 2006 and 2008, provided Imagine Cup Software Design teams with direction on the next stage of developing their innovative ideas into a business. Each year, between 2006 and 2008, six teams were selected for the Innovation Accelerator program. Participants in the Innovation Accelerator program travelled to the Microsoft Mountain View campus in Silicon Valley and received technical support and business coaching to create the must-have technology and communications applications of the future. In 2010, Microsoft began inviting every Imagine Cup team to participate in its new program for startups: Microsoft BizSpark. With this program, startups receive access to current, full-featured software development tools and platforms.
Previous teams include:
2006: Brazil, China, Croatia, Germany, Italy, Norway, India 2007: Ireland, Jamaica, Korea, Mexico, Poland, Thailand, 2008: Australia, France, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia, South Africa,
Imagine Cup Grant A three-year, $3 million competitive grant program was established by Microsoft in 2011 to support a select number of winning teams’ solutions to go to market and realize its potential to solve a critical global problem. The inaugural grant recipients were announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on January 27, 2012, which included the following teams:
Team Lifelens from the United States Team Apptenders from Croatia Team Falcon Dev from Ecuador Team OaSys from Jordan
The grant packages include US$75,000 for each team, as well as software, cloud computing services, solution provider support, premium Microsoft BizSpark account benefits and access to local resources such as the Microsoft Innovation Centers. Microsoft will also connect grant recipients with its network of investors, nongovernmental organization partners and business partners.