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The 2011 Imagine Cup, with finals scheduled for July 2011 in New York. asks student teams to "imagine a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems." Specifically, Microsoft adds, the event focuses on the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals, which are as follows:
For example, one of seven problems posted by Microsoft is a "virtual youth forum" proposed by the United Nations Programme on Youth. This would be a platform including a multiligual database of youth-led NGOs worldwide, accessible via the web, via mobile phones, and, preferably, via speech.
Another problem is "Fight Hunger Live," proposed by the United Nations World Food Programme. Designed to publicize the delivery of urgent humanitarian assistance, the project would involve a bevy of webcams that could be deployed anywhere in the world, transmitting video live whenever Internet connectivity is available, and storing it offline wherever necessary, Microsoft says.
More about the Imagine Cup competition
As in past years, the 2011 Imagine Cup has multiple categories, any of which can be entered by teams consisting of three or four students and a faculty member. The categories include Software Design, Game Design, Digital Media, Windows Phone 7, Interoperability Challenge, Windows 7 Touch Challenge, IT Challenge, and the Orchard Challenge (the latter involving Orchard, an open-source CMS that's under development by Microsoft).
The category we're particularly interested in, however, is the Embedded Development challenge. In the first round of this competition, which ends on January 9, 2011, teams are being asked to submit a "Project Vision Report" (five pages or fewer) that explains what problem they are trying to solve, what the proposed solution is, and why this would be best implemented as an embedded device. The report should briefly discuss proposed hardware and software architecture, Microsoft adds.
Teams chosen to advance to the second round -- last year, there were more than 140 of them -- will receive DM&P's eBox-3310A-MSJK (right), a compact PC that includes a 1GHz MSTI PDX-600 (a version of DMP's Vortex86DX), 256MB or 512MB of DDR2 RAM, and a Type II/II CompactFlash slot. While being free to add additional hardware and software, teams must use the eBox and a Windows Embedded Compact 7 operating system image that they themselves configure, build, debug, and deploy.
The second round concludes on May 5, 2011, by which time teams must submit information on the embedded device they built in the form of written documentation and a video not to exceed five minutes in length. Not long after, "up to 20" finalist teams -- last year, 15 were picked -- will be chosen to receive a free trip to New York, Microsoft says.
During the July 2011 finals, the teams will be winnowed down to 12 and then just six, according to Microsoft. In the final round of judging, first-, second-, and third-place teams will be announced, and will receive cash prizes of $25,000, $10,000, and $5,000, respectively.
Further information
The "Imagine Cup Solve This" web page mentioned in this story may be found on Microsoft's website, here. Overall information about the 2011 Imagine Cup may be found here, while specifics about the Embedded Development competition may be found here.
More information about Microsoft's embeddedSPARK 2011 Challenge, a similar event that's aimed at hobbyists, may be found on the company's website, here.
