Welcome to the Imagine Cup
Software Design Interoperability Award!
Here’s your chance to build
solutions that better connect people, data, and diverse systems.
OVERVIEW
This exciting new award is designed to recognize the software solution that best
leverages out-of-the-box Microsoft technologies and blends them with other technologies
to connect people, data, or diverse systems in a new way. The ability to build technical
bridges and blend technologies from different vendors has great value in the industry.
The experience you gain by participating in this challenge will help you and teammates
build important technical skills that are highly valued in the job market.
PLEASE NOTE: If you choose to submit a software solution for
consideration for the Software Design Interoperability Award ("Contest"), then you
agree that your participation in the Contest is subject to the following terms and
conditions:
If there are any inconsistencies between the Imagine Cup Rules and Regulations
and the Imagine Cup Software Design Interoperability Award Contest Details, the
Imagine Cup Rules and Regulations will govern.
WHAT ARE THE START AND END DATES?
This Contest starts at 12:01 AM Greenwich Mean Time ("GMT") on January 21, 2008
and ends at 11:59 PM (GMT) On May 15, 2008 ("Entry Period"). Entries must
be received within the Entry Period to be eligible.
CAN YOU ENTER?
You are eligible to enter this Contest if you meet the Eligibility Requirement
set forth in the "Eligibility Criteria" section of the Imagine Cup Rules and Regulations
at: /Competition/Rules-Regulations.aspx#Rule4
WHAT CONSTITUTES AN ELIGIBLE ENTRY?
To be eligible for consideration for this Award, you must submit a functional
software solution and an Official Entry Form (collectively, "entry"), and your entry
must meet the following content and technical requirements:
- You must submit the Official Entry Form posted on the right side of this page. All
required fields on the Official Entry Form must be completed including:
- Abstract of the problem space and high-level solution scope
- List of the Microsoft and other technologies leveraged and why those technologies
were chosen
- Description of the interoperability that the project will demonstrate
- Your solution must employ technologies from Microsoft and others
- Your solution must include interoperability in at least three of the following areas:
- Data exchange
|
- UI design
|
- Messaging
|
- Identity
|
- Protocols
|
- File formats
|
- Compliance with open standards
|
- XML Web Services
|
- Your solution may be localized in any language; however, the supporting materials
including the Official Entry Form must be presented in English.
- Your solution must include at least two (2) of the Required Elements and two (2)
of the Optional Elements described below:
Required Elements
- Design a portion of the project on .NET Framework 2.0 or later
- Use of Visual Studio family (Express, Standard, Professional, or Team System) for
development
Optional Elements
- Implement or use a PopFly Block
- Windows Live SDK
- Mobile device
- .NET Compact Framework
- ASP .NET
- SQL Server
- Imagine Cup sponsor resources
- Your solution must be functional; not an idea to be developed
- File Formats accepted: zip, doc, docx, pdf, ppt, pptx, xps, odf, odt, odp
- Maximum File Size: 200 MB
- Please note that you will only be able to submit 1 file so be sure to zip multiple
files.
HOW DO I REGISTER?
If you wish to participate in this Contest, you must register at www.imaginecup.com as instructed
during the Entry Period, either individually, or as a member of a Team.
For purposes of this Contest, a Team consists of up to four (4) eligible students
(each a "Team"). You must create and register your team as instructed at:
/Support/FAQ.aspx#Question25.
Each Team is solely responsible for its own cooperation and teamwork. In
no event will Microsoft officiate in any dispute regarding the conduct or cooperation
of any Team or its members. In addition, you may not compete as a member of multiple
Teams in this Contest.
HOW DO I SUBMIT MY ENTRY?
To submit your entry, navigate to the SDI Invitational Page
/Competition/mycompetitionportal.aspx?competitionId=10 and click
the Upload Award Entry button. During the entry submission process,
you will be required to provide a title and short description for your entry. (Note:
If you do not see the Upload Award Entry button in your Entry Pane,
you have not completed all of the necessary steps to confirm your eligibility. Please
refer to the FAQ at the bottom of this page for detailed instructions.)
ENTRY LIMIT
We will only accept one (1) entry per Team. We are not responsible for entries that
we do not receive for any reason, or for entries that we receive but are not decipherable
for any reason.
We will automatically disqualify:
- Incomplete or illegible entries; and
- Entries that we receive in excess of the entry limit described above.
HOW WILL ENTRIES BE JUDGED?
On or around the close of the Entry Period, a panel of
qualified judges
will review all eligible entries received and select three (3) Teams
(each, a "Finalist") based upon the Judging Criteria described below. Finalists
will be announced on or around May 23, 2008. The Grand Prize Winner will be announced
on or around July 8, 2008.
Judging Criteria
20% Architectural Design:
- Well thought out and using standard protocols
- The interoperability benefit must be an intrinsic part of the design and development—not
incidental
- Architecture can be replicated in any appropriate environment
- Designed to be pluggable with future interoperability (does not limit future interactions)
- General enough to cover a wide range of scenarios
30% Innovation – How innovative is the entry?
Examples include:
- Office Open XML document format (.docx, .xslx, .pptx)
- Information cards (single sign–in to multiple sites)
- Web services (Java and .Net working together)
- "Cloud" services (such as, Windows Live, Google, Facebook, and more)
20% Interoperability (should be accomplished through file formats, protocols etc.
NOT through an API):
- Must comply with existing open standards
- Should be dependent on multiple platforms
- Should exchange data, messages and/or protocols in heterogeneous systems
- Must use existing open protocols
- Supports multiple browsers
- Supports multiple devices
- Ability to achieve a 50/50 balance between use of Microsoft and third party technologies
30% Coolness:
- Wow factor: highly reliable, fast performance, impressive UI, and/or presentation
- Use of emerging technologies and trends
- Peer-to-peer networking
- Social networking
All decisions of the Contest Judges are final and binding. If we do not receive
a sufficient number of entries meeting the entry requirements, we may, at our discretion
based on the above Judging Criteria, select fewer than the number of winner stated.
In the event of a tie between any eligible entries, the tie will be broken by an
additional judge who will judge the tied entries based on the criteria listed above.
PRIZES
Three (3) Finalist Prizes. An opportunity for each member
of the Team to travel to Paris, France, as a guest of Microsoft, to attend the Imagine
Cup 2008 Worldwide Finals. Trip includes roundtrip airfare and lodging (Approximate
Retail Value (ARV), $4,000 per person).
One (1) Grand Prize. A prize package consisting of the following
items:
- Interoperability Award consisting of $10,000 to be distributed equally among each
member of the Team
- The opportunity to have the Interoperability Award-winning solution featured on
the Imagine Cup Web site and on dev.live.com.
- A two (2) day / one (1) night roundtrip for each member of the Team to Redmond,
WA to tour the Microsoft Corporate Headquarters, meet with and present the Interoperability
Award-winning solution to the Interoperability Executive Customer Council (a group
of CIO’s and CTO’s from fortune 1000 companies and government agencies from around
the world), and the opportunity to interview for an internship. Trip includes roundtrip
airfare and lodging (ARV), $1,500 per person).
NOTE: Internship offers are at the sole and exclusive discretion of Microsoft.
Internship offers are at the sole and excluse
discretion of Microsoft.
OTHER
Please note that your entry may be posted on a Web site selected by us for viewing
by visitors to that Web site. We are not responsible for any unauthorized use of
your entry by visitors to this Web site. While we reserve these rights, we are not
obligated to use your entry for any purpose, even if it has been selected as a winning
entry.
If you do not want to grant us these rights to your entry, please do not enter
this Contest.
FAQ
Is this a new requirement for the Software Design Invitational?
No. This Contest is separate from the Imagine Cup Software Design Invitational.
However, you can submit your entry from SDI for consideration for the Interoperability
Award provided you meet all of the eligibility requirements and your entry meets
all of the Imagine Cup Interoperability Award Content and Technical Requirements
described above.
My country is not hosting a local Software Design semi-final. Can I still compete
in this Contest?
Yes, you can compete in this Contest even if your country is not hosting a local
Software Design semi-final because this Contest is separate from the Imagine Cup
Software Design Invitational. You are not required to attend a local Software
Design semi-final.
What are the deadlines for the Interoperability Award?
The deadline is May 15, 2008.
How will I submit my entry?
Follow the steps to submit a Software Design entry.
- Sign up for the Software Design Invitational on your Profile page.
- Provide your personal information.
- Confirm your Imagine Cup account.
- Create a Live ID and associate it with your Imagine Cup account.
- Form or join a team.
You can tell if you have completed these required steps by looking at the competition
checklist on your Software Design Competition page, and the corresponding message
displayed in the "Entry Panel" in the top left corner of your Software Design Competition
page.
- If it says "Sign Up for the Competition", click the button to be taken to your Profile
page where you can sign up for the competition.
- If it says "Provide Personal Information", click the button to be taken to your
Profile page. You must fill in all the fields in the Personal Information section
and click Update in order to compete. If a particular field is not applicable to
you (for example, your country does not use postal codes), put "NA" or "Not Applicable."
- If it says "Confirm Your Account", click the button to have a registration confirmation
mail sent to you. Once you receive it, click on the included confirmation link to
confirm your account.
- If it says "Create a Live ID Account", click the button to be taken to the Windows
Live ID Web site, where you can create a new Live ID or log in with an existing
one. After you have done that, you will be returned to the Imagine Cup site and
asked to supply your Imagine Cup credentials to link the two accounts.
- If it says "Join or Create a Team", you should create a team following the steps
outlined in the Support FAQ.
- If you see a message that tells you to submit an award entry, you're all set! Click
Upload Award Entry.
Select the checkbox that says Please consider this entry for the Interoperability
Award
from the upload interface. Please also ensure you have included a completed copy
of the Interoperrability Award Official Entry Form, found on this page. You
can only submit one file so you must zip your entry form and your entry into a single
file.
Q: Can I submit different entries for Software Design and the Interoperability Award?
A: Yes. While the Software Design Invitational and the Interoperability
award share the same submission page, you can submit different entries at different
times.
- Any entry received prior to the deadline for Software Design submissions for your
country will be considered for Software Design. Additionally, if in this period
if you check the box for Interoperability Award, and satisfy the additional requirements
for the Interopperability award, it will also be considered for the Interoperability
Award.
- Any entry received after the deadline for Software Design, and before the deadline
for Interoperability, will only be considered for the Interoperability Award.
Note: Some countries have their own Software Design rules and submission process.
In those cases, the submissions for the local Software Design competition and the
Interoperability Award are always separate.
Q: Is it possible to submit for the Interoperability Award without submitting
for Software Design?
A: By submitting after the Software Design submission deadline, you will
only be considered for the Interoperability Award. If for some reason you would
like to be considered for the Interoperability Award but not the Software Design
competition and submit your entry before the Software Design Entry, add a note in
the project desciption stating "We do not want this entry considered for the Software
Design competition."
Q: Can I form different teams for the purposes of Software Design and the Interoperability
Award?
A: No.
Q: Should I check the checkbox for consideration for the Interoperability Award
only after I have completed all requirements for that Award?
A: Yes.
Q: Will I be able to upload or update my Interoperability Award entry after the
round 1 submission deadline for Software Design?
A: Yes. A button will appear in the Entry Panel on your Software Design
competition page which will allow you to upload or update your Interoperability
Award submission at any point until the Interoperability Award submission deadline.
Where can I find resources and get my questions answered?
We recommend the following general and public Interoperability Resources:
Identity specific resources: