Imagine Cup 2016 continues search for UAE’s most talented youth

Microsoft today trumpeted the return of its Imagine Cup, a student contest that has come to be known as the world’s foremost proving ground for the best and brightest technology students and entrepreneurs.

Now in its 14th edition, the Imagine Cup has become a crucial part of Microsoft’s YouthSpark programme, a global CSR initiative, launched in 2012, aimed at delivering educational, employment and entrepreneurial opportunities for more than 300 million young people around the world.

This year’s UAE finals will be held at the Ritz Carlton, Abu Dhabi on 26 April and are supported by Al Bayt Mitwahid Association, a UAE-based initiative founded by employees of the Crown Prince Court to promote solidarity between UAE communities.

Open to entrants who are 16 years or older, or enrolled as a permanent student, Imagine Cup invites creative youths to develop technology ideas from raw concepts and submit business plans on how they would bring their product to market.

Competing teams can enter one of three categories. Five finalists have been shortlisted from each category and from these finalists, Microsoft’s chosen judges will select a first, second and third place. Each of the three first-placed teams will automatically qualify to compete in the Pan-Arab semifinals to be held in Egypt in May.

The World Citizenship class challenges entrants to solve community challenges. Finalists in this category are: Imagine SWC from the Higher College of Technology (Women’s campus); Avengineers from American University in Dubai; TechBytes from Middlesex University; DAQS from New York University, Abu Dhabi; and Illumination from American University in Dubai. Judges for the category are: Mohamed Al Qadhi, vice chairman, Al Bayt Mitwahid Association; Sultan Al-Hajji, vice president and chief strategy general council officer, Total; Ahmed Waheed, partner business evangelism manager, Gulf, Microsoft; and Daniel dos Reis, senior portfolio manager, Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority.

The Innovation category covers projects aimed at the business community. Finalists for the group are: SecureME from Ajman University of Science & Technology; Darma from Ajman University of Science & Technology; MEEM Team from Middlesex University; Foresight from American University in Dubai; and Tapp Technologies from BITS (Birla Institute of Science and Technology) Pilani. The teams will be assessed by: Amir Khan, partner business evangelism manager, Gulf, Microsoft; Firas Mallah, managing director, Bank of Montreal; Ovais Mehboob Khan, chief architect, Techframeworx; and Haris Shamsi, director of products and service delivery, Emitac Mobile Solutions.

The third option for competing teams is to design a leisure-time app for the Games category. Finalists are: B.A.S.S. from University of Wollongong in Dubai; Red Arrow from BITS Pilani; The Arcturus from Higher College of Technology; NSFW from BITS Pilani; and Klockwork from Khalifa University of Science, Technology & Research (KUSTAR). Judges for the Games class will be: Kerim Ozbakirci, senior category manager, XBox, Microsoft; Abdulrahman Abdi, senior innovation consultant and business development advisor, TURN8; and Clio Andriopoulos, senior manager strategy, ICT, Tecom Group.

“We received 173 proposals this year from UAE teams – 26 in the Games category, 68 in Innovation and 79 in World Citizenship,” said Samer Abu Ltaif, Regional General Manager, Microsoft Gulf. “This represents an all-time record in the Gulf region since the competition was launched in 2003. Today we find ourselves immersed in innovation – social media, mobile devices and cloud computing. Imagine Cup represents Microsoft’s commitment towards UAE’s vision in building a knowledge based economy and nurturing the creativity nestled in young people to innovate. Any one of our UAE finalists could bring mankind the next big thing, and that is a really exciting prospect for us.”