Rules

The Software Design competition challenges students to explore their own creativity by using technology to solve what they consider to be the toughest problems facing our global society. The Imagine Cup provides the incentive, but the competitors provide the genius behind innovative, dynamic, and powerful software applications. Using Microsoft tools and technology, competitors can unleash their ideas, curiosities, and talents towards creating usable software applications. Globally, students will conceive, test, and build their ideas into applications that can change the world.

In order to help you to understand this year's theme: "Imagine a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems," we recommend the reading of what the United Nations has identified as some of the hardest challenges in the world today, and named them: the Millennium Development Goals.

{ I. Software Design Competition Guidelines }

If you wish to participate in this Competition, you must read through the complete competition details as provided on the official Imagine Cup Website. To get started, Register and Sign Up for the Software Design competition now! Registration deadline is 9th March 2010, you must sign up and form a team before you submit for Software Design Round 1.

A Team may consist of up to four (4) eligible students (each a "Team"). Your Team does not need to consist of members who are legal residents of the same country/region, or students at the same academic institution, but your Team can only represent one (1) country/region.

It is recommended, but not required, that you have one (1) mentor for your Team in addition to your four (4) Team members. Limit one (1) mentor per Team.

For additional important details on signing up for the Competition, please see the requirements set forth in the Team and Individual Competitions section of the Imagine Cup Official Rules.

WHAT CONSTITUTES AN ELIGIBILE ENTRY?

To be eligible, your entry/entry materials must meet the following content and technical requirements:

REQUIRED ELEMENTS your entry must contain all of the following required elements:

• Your entry must address a social cause connected to the Imagine Cup 2010 Theme: "Imagine a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems".
• Any presentation or documentation that is a part of your entry must be in the English language. If a translator is needed, you are responsible to procure and to make usage of one.
• Either an implementation or the consumption of a XML Web Service or a WCF service;
• Your application must run on the Microsoft .NET Framework. You may use any version of .Net.
  Recommendation: .NET Framework 4 makes parallel computing and interoperating with dynamic languages easy. It also makes development of ASP.NET, WCF services faster and easier. Flowcharting in Workflow Foundation 4 enables constructing of business logic simple.
• Your application must be developed using at least one (1) of the products within the Visual Studio family (Express, Standard, Professional, or Team System) for development.
  Recommendation: Visual Studio 2010 provides UML tools for architecting software, more productive coding/debugging experiences and the testing capabilities to ensure that your software has no bugs/defects.
• Your software application must be fully functional and implemented (i.e., visions for a software application or software applications that are not fully developed are not eligible).

OPTIONAL ELEMENTS your entry must contain or use features of at least one (1) of the optional elements:

• Windows 7
• Windows Live SDK
• Use of Windows Mobile technologies
• Silverlight
• Azure for implementing a S + S architecture application
• Windows Multipoint Mouse SDK

{ II. Local Software Design Competition }

The local Software Design competition would have several rounds. The team that emerges as a winner in the local competition would represent Singapore at the world finals to be held in Poland in July 2010. Below are details on the rules, competition rounds and other important information to take note of.

Rules:

• You must register at www.imaginecup.com, either individually, or as a member of a Team before 1st March 2010. Registration has begun since 8th July 2009.
• If you wish to register as an individual, at time of registration, you will need to create a Team and join it as an individual. If you wish to register as a member of a Team, at time of registration, you must identify your Team.
• You cannot change Teams or otherwise remove yourself or anyone else from your Team after the close of the Registration Period.
• A Team may consist of up to four (4) eligible students (each a "Team"). Your Team does not need to consist of members who are legal residents of the same country/region, or students at the same school, but your Team can only represent one (1) country/region. It is recommended, but not required, that you have one (1) mentor for your Team in addition to your four (4) Team members. Limit one (1) mentor per Team.

Competition Rounds:

The local Software Design Competition would happen in several rounds.

Here are some important timelines to note for the local Software Design Competition:

Competition Stage	End Date
A. Proposal Submission	9th March 2010
A1. Notification to Semi-Finalist (Top 16)	22nd March 2010
A2. Innovation Accelerator(for Semi-Finalists)	9th April 2010
B. Semi-Finalist Presentation	17th May 2010
C. Software Design Finals	21st May 2010
D. Awards Ceremony	26th May 2010
World Wide Competition Poland	July 2010

Round 1: Proposal Submission:

• For Round 1, teams need to submit their solution idea(as per details given above in the Competition Guidelines section and on the official Imagine Cup website) in the form of a proposal document in .docx or .doc or .pdf format.
• The word document template can be downloaded from here. You dont have to strictly follow the template as long as you broadly answer the questions as mentioned in the template.
• Try to limit your submission to about 5-7 pages.
Here is a sample Software Design proposal from one of the last year's finalist teams which you can use as guidance. This is in no way the perfect or the ideal proposal.
• Teams need to submit the completed proposal document to us via email to Imagine Cup Team at Crystal Edge by 9th March 2010 before end of day.
• Teams can submit an entry multiple times (if you wish to make improvements to your earlier submission) but only a maximum of 3 proposals are allowed, meaning you can make a repeat submission only twice.The last submitted proposal received before the deadline would be considered as the final entry.

Judging Criteria for Competition Rounds:

• 10% - Problem Definition: How precise and relevant is the real world problem? How interesting or difficult to resolve - functionally or technically - is the problem being challenged? For this criterion, we only focus on the problem challenged, not on the solution created to solve this problem. How well does the project adhere to the current 2010 Theme? .
• 35% - Solution Design & Innovation: Does the application approach a new problem, or look at an old problem in a new way? Is the solution completely innovative or does it rely on an existing concept/technology? Does the application impact a large number of people very broadly, or impact a smaller number of people very deeply? To which degree does the application actually solve the current problem? .
• 30% - Technical Architecture & User Experience: Is the system architecture broke down into logical chunks and modules? Is the project technically open to some evolution? Is it only made with a monolithic block or does it present interfaces enabling extensions (SDKs or APIs)? To which degree are the HMI (Human Machine Interfaces) intuitive, ergonomic and user friendly? Does the application leverage the presence of fresh and updated data? .
• 15% - Business Viability: Is the application technically and economically viable? Is this solution only theoretical or does it have a realistic application for commercial purposes? (Not necessarily here and now, but eventually in the future and/or for certain markets).
• 10% - Presentation/Judges Discretion: The judges will be looking for oral presentations that provide background and context to the project, explain why the problem is an interesting one, highlight how the system works, and include an insightful demonstration. Teams will also be evaluated on their ability to take questions from the judging panel. For Proposal round, 10% will be mainly based on Judges Discretion.

If you have any questions regarding the local software design competition rounds you could email us at sgacad@microsoft.com.