The Microsoft Imagine Cup is an opportunity for students to use the power behind some of the industry's leading technologies to build applications that are designed for the greater good. Microsoft helps to foster the process by awarding winners grants, prizes and other opportunities to help take their ideas from concept to implementation, to ensure that these ideas have every chance of becoming an integral part of our society.
For those who are not familiar with Imagine Cup, Microsoft holds local competitions around the world, and then brings all the winners to a single location (this year will be in Australia) to share these applications and spread awareness.
At this time, regional competitions are wrapping up and today we bring you the US edition of Imagine Cup.
So, who took home the top prize? That prize would go to team FlashFood, who developed an application that helps to deliver food to to those in need. The idea is simple and intuitive but also critical in crisis scenarios. The team built a real-time food recovery solution that makes use of smartphones and web applications to coordinate the delivery of supplies to those in need. By utilizing the web and a smartphone, it becomes possible to coordinate deliveries from a home base to those in the field to maintain proper distribution of supplies.
This is just one of the many great projects that Imagine Cup fostered with its initiatives and you can view the entire list of winning teams by visiting the virtual pressroom here.
It should be no surprise that Microsoft stands firmly behind Imagine Cup with Microsoft Vice President, Marh Hindsbo, saying:
“These students who compete, they don’t just code. They come up with the idea. They make it real. This is exactly the type of person we need, with creativity, the ability to spot opportunities and convert them into reality. We have a deep-rooted belief that the magic of software can help solve our toughest problems, and that students can take on that challenge and contribute to it. And every year they prove us right.”
There are tons of competitors from around the world creating applications like FlashFood, and Neowin will be following all of these students and their projects to the world finals in Australia in July.
If you love intuitive uses for consumer products, the fostering of young minds and Microsoft technology, Imagine Cup is the place to see what technological revolutions are just around the corner.
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