14 DAY TRIAL // No less than 300,000 students have registered for Imagine Cup 2009, Microsoft reveals. This year's student technology competition hosted by the Redmond company is designed to make participants tackle the toughest global problems, a set of issues synonymous with the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. With Imagine Cup 2009, the software giant has managed to attract interest of students from no less than 100 countries around the world. The final stage of the competition will be held in Cairo between July 3–9.
“The Imagine Cup inspires students to use their creativity to help change the world for the better by discovering new ways to use technology to address some of the world’s toughest challenges,” explained Steve Ballmer, Microsoft chief executive officer. “Some of the greatest innovations and companies of tomorrow will be created by today’s students. The Imagine Cup presents a fantastic opportunity for them to compete with students from around the world.”
During his visit in Warsaw, on April 23, 2009, Ballmer announced that the Imagine Cup 2010 Finals were scheduled to take place in Poland next year. However, the seventh edition of the Imagine Cup is yet to come to an end. This year, the Redmond company asked participants to “Imagine a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems facing us today.” Among the United Nations Millennium Development Goals that students have to come up with solutions to are stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS and ensuring that children worldwide have access to universal primary education.
Of course, the Image Cup 2009 is intimately connected with Microsoft technologies. The Redmond company expects students to battle it out in the following areas: software design, embedded development, game development, robotics and algorithm, IT challenge, MashUp, photography, short film, and design. Participants have to turn to Microsoft software products for Imagine Cup, offerings including: .NET Framework, Windows, Windows Embedded CE 6.0 R2, XNA Game Studio 3.0 and Visual Studio, etc. Microsoft will offer prizes of over $180,000 to the winners of the nine categories.